Nimbus 3/24,5 wing separates in spiraling descent; crashes in forest

A Nimbus 3/24.5 was destroyed in a wooded area near Bakede (Germany) after a wing separated in a spiraling descent; the pilot was fatally injured. About four hours after launching from Wahlstedt (EDHW) for a cross-country flight, witnesses saw the glider at roughly 1,200 m MSL in an unusually steep nose-up attitude. It rolled off over a wing into a steep spiraling descent, and after several turns part of a wing separated and ballast water poured from the remaining wing. No other aircraft was involved, and autopsy and toxicology found no contributing medical condition.

1. Aerotow + cross-country flight: At 11:27 LT the Nimbus 3/24,5 launches on aerotow from the special airfield Wahlstedt (EDHW) for a cross-country flight.
2. Unusually steep nose-up at ~1,200 m: At about 15:17 LT other glider pilots in the area of Bad Münder am Deister / Bakede notice the Nimbus in an unusually steep nose-up attitude at approximately 1,200 m AMSL.
3. Roll-off, steep spiraling descent: From the steep nose-up attitude the glider rolls off over one wing and transitions into a steep, spiraling descent.
4. Wing separates after several turns: After several turns in the spiral, part of a wing separated, with ballast water flowing from the remaining section; witnesses on the ground heard a whistle, a bang, then impact.
5. Impact in wooded area near Bakede: The glider struck a wooded area about two km southwest of Bakede at a steep angle and was destroyed; the pilot was fatally injured, with wing fragments scattered up to one km northeast.
6. No medical or technical findings: Examination found no evidence of restricted controllability before impact; an initial suspicion of a midair collision was ruled out, as no second aircraft was found.