All -

Would love opinions from anyone who's been through an insurance-
related claim on a glider... My DG-300's gear collapsed on landing
Saturday. The down-lock tab squished into the rubber "donut" spacer,
instead of pivoting into place beyond it, and I didn't notice the
difference (it was literally within 1/16th of an inch of being in the
fully locked position). Left a nice white stripe down the first 75
yards along the centerline of the runway (why did it have to happen at
an asphalt strip, when I fly half the year on grass??). Photos for
the morbidly curious: http://picasaweb.google.com/noel.wad...ggearcollapse/

Structurally the ship seems good - banging on the damaged area yields
no flex or cracking, and the DG has a separate seat-pan; but contest
season is about to start for me in late June and I don't want the raw
glass exposed to the elements or sitting prone to further damage.

I lost the gelcoat and 1 or 2 layers of glass in an 8" x 15" area just
in front of the gear. Gear doors are almost unscathed, but the guard-
ring/back-release on the belly-hook got ground down a bit - I'm sure a
replacement Tost system ain't cheap!

The big question right now is whether I involve the insurance
company. I've got a loan on the glider, so its fully insured through
Avemco. If its just glass-work I'd probably just pay out-of-pocket
and be done with it... but throw in potentially a little landing-gear
work and replacing the Tost belly-hook and I'm guessing it'll be a few
thousand $$...

Anyone have experience with filing a claim on aircraft damage with
Avemco or Costello? How much of an ordeal was it? How much did your
rates go up? Any tips?

Thanks,

--Noel