Mid-air at Melle: Discus bT vs Tecnam P92; glider pilot bails

Mid-air collision over Melle between a Discus bT descending to land and a Tecnam P92 Echo microlight departing on a cross-country; the glider pilot bailed out by parachute and was lightly injured, both aircraft substantially damaged. The microlight returned to Melle and landed safely. The glider was descending through ~340 m AGL toward the northern circuit and rolled into a left turn while the microlight was climbing north-east out of RWY 27 at 110–120 km/h. The wings contacted left-to-left; the glider's left wing broke. The microlight's aileron stiffened but other controls remained functional. Neither pilot saw the other before impact.

1. Discus bT descending to circuit: A Discus bT had been soaring for ~1:50 h after a winch launch from RWY 27 at Melle-Grönegau airfield. From ~13:45 the pilot was descending to land in order to take winch duty at 14:00. The glider was circling NW of the field in 2–3.5 m/s sink and turning east toward the northern circuit at about 340 m AGL.
2. P92 climbing out of RWY 27: A Tecnam P92 Echo microlight had taken off from RWY 27 at Melle-Grönegau at 13:50 for a cross-country flight to Damme with two on board. After climb-out the pilot turned right onto a north-easterly track, climbing at 3–4 m/s and 110–120 km/h.
3. Neither pilot saw the other: By their own statements neither pilot saw the other aircraft before the impact. The glider pilot reported sighting the microlight under his left wing only immediately before the collision; the microlight pilot reported sighting the deployed canopy of the glider's parachute only after the collision.
4. Left-to-left wing contact at ~340 m AGL: At about 13:52 the glider was rolling into a left turn when its left wing contacted the left wing of the climbing microlight. The glider's left wing broke near the point of contact.
5. Glider pilot bails; P92 returns to land: The glider pilot opened the canopy and abandoned the aircraft using an automatic emergency parachute; he landed in a garden plot. The microlight pilot checked his control responses, found the left aileron stiffened but other controls functional, declared the situation by radio and returned to Melle, completing a short pattern and a precautionary landing on RWY 27.
6. Glider in trees; both damaged: After the collision the glider entered a rotation and fell into trees on an industrial site, where it was substantially damaged. The microlight landed without further incident. The glider pilot was lightly injured; the microlight pilot and his passenger were uninjured. Both aircraft were substantially damaged. The investigation was closed as a facts-only report; no probable cause was attributed.