H 301 Libelle outlanding — stall in steep low final turn

The pilot of a Glasflügel H 301 Libelle was fatally injured on an outlanding southwest of Reifferscheid in the Eifel, Germany; the glider was destroyed. Unable to return to Wershofen, he delayed the outlanding while still thermalling at about 150 m, then overflew the intended field with a tight downwind. Witnesses saw the final turn at house height: the glider banked steeply, airspeed fell below the minimum flying speed, and the wing struck a 13 m spruce before impact. A late outlanding decision and the resulting low, tight circuit forced a steep low-speed final turn that ended in a stall close to the ground.

1. Cross-country soaring: After a winch launch from Wershofen, the pilot conducted a cross-country soaring flight, initially gaining height near the airfield and then proceeding southeast before turning north toward Reifferscheid.
2. Unable to maintain height: In the area near Reifferscheid the pilot was unable to gain further altitude in weak or absent thermals and recognized he could no longer reach Wershofen.
3. Challenging outlanding terrain: The surrounding Hocheifel terrain was strongly dissected and generally unfavorable for outlandings, with rising ground toward Reifferscheid and limited suitable fields.
4. Late outlanding decision: At about 150 m height the pilot informed Wershofen of an impending outlanding and, while still low, continued searching for lift and then selected a grass or crop field along the district road as the intended landing area.
5. Low tight circuit: The pilot overflew the intended field at low height and flew a very tight, low circuit pattern, including several low-altitude circles over the area west of Reifferscheid before positioning north of the road for the final turn toward the field.
6. Steep low-speed turn: At approximately house-top height north of the road, the pilot initiated a steep right turn toward the final approach, during which the glider’s speed dropped below minimum, it banked excessively, and witnesses saw it ‘go forward out of the turn’ and drop nose-down.
7. Crash - fatal: The glider clipped the crown of a 13 m spruce in a tree line and then impacted almost vertically into a grass field near Reifferscheid, fatally injuring the pilot and destroying the aircraft.