Discus-2T stalls in turn to final — very low type experience, motor partly extended
A Schempp-Hirth Discus-2T was destroyed in a crash during the turn to final at Schnuckenheide-Repke (Germany); the pilot was seriously injured. He had been introduced to the type two years earlier with minimal flight time since. After a winch launch and three circles under turbo the pilot shut down the motor and believed it had retracted, though witnesses observed it had not. At about 50 m AGL he began the right turn to final, the glider abruptly dropped right, and impacted. Very low type experience together with the partly extended motor were identified as central to the loss of control.
- Winch launch training: The pilot began a training flight to gain experience on the Discus-2T with a winch launch from Schnuckenheide-Repke and climbed to about 400 m AGL.
- Very low type experience: The pilot had only twelve minutes prior experience on the Discus-2T type, with an introduction two years earlier.
- Motor not fully retracted: After using the turbo engine and believing he had fully shut down and retracted it, the glider continued flying with the motor still partially extended, as later observed by witnesses.
- Low-altitude turn to final: At about double tree height, roughly 50 m AGL over the middle of the airfield, the pilot initiated a right turn from the base leg onto final approach to RWY 29 while relatively low over nearby trees.
- Sudden loss of control: During the right turn toward final, the glider suddenly rolled and yawed sharply to the right and descended steeply, consistent with an abrupt loss of control or stall at low height.
- Crash - serious injury: The glider impacted the ground almost vertically in the middle of the airfield, destroying the aircraft and seriously injuring the pilot with spinal and foot fractures.