Discus CS drops onto the ground from 4-5 m in a nose-high landing

A glider pilot was seriously injured when a Discus CS dropped onto the ground from about 4-5 m during a landing; the glider was substantially damaged. Returning from a local thermal flight, the pilot reported his gear down and turned onto final for the grass; witnesses saw the approach flown at a slightly high angle of attack. Over a path crossing the landing area the glider sank from about 4-5 m and struck the ground hard, both wingtips touching, then bounced to about 2 m, hit hard again and slewed round, breaking the fuselage. No technical defect was found and the facts-only report stated no cause.

1. Returning to land, low on type: After a ~1:37 h thermal flight the pilot returned to Rossfeld to land; he had flown the Discus CS only about six times (~7:53 h) in the previous year.
2. Approach flown nose-high: Turning onto final with the gear down, the glider was flown at a slightly too high angle of attack.
3. Mushes from about 4-5 m: Over a path crossing the landing area the glider sank from about 4-5 m — too little energy to hold it.
4. Hard hit, then a bounce: It struck the ground hard, both wingtips touching, and bounced back up to about 2 m.
5. Second hit, ground loop: It hit hard again and slewed round its vertical axis, breaking the fuselage; the pilot was seriously injured and the glider substantially damaged.