DG-100 spins twice on thermal turn; second from 230 m AGL not recovered

The pilot of a DG-100 was killed near Drumshade after an unrecovered second spin and the glider was destroyed. Total experience was 28 hours with 5 on type, on the first leg of a 100 km task. Thermalling clockwise at about 72 km/h, close to the 67 km/h stall, the DG-100 entered a steep right spin at roughly 470 m AGL. The pilot recovered after about two turns with about 150 m height loss. The glider then flew back toward Drumshade, airbrakes likely deployed for descent; airspeed decayed to about 74 km/h at 230 m AGL. A second right spin developed and was not recovered, with airbrakes found extended at impact possibly delaying recovery.

1. Winch launch, thermal climb at Drumshade: At 11:15 UTC on 4 August 2012 a DG-100 launched on winch from the easterly runway of Drumshade gliding site in Angus, Scotland. The pilot, on the first leg of a planned 100 km cross-country task (Silver gliding badge requirement, triangle Drumshade — Alyth — Fordoun — Drumshade), began clockwise thermalling east and then north-east of the field. Average climb was about 0.75 m/s. Weather was good, cloud base above 760 m, visibility >10 km.
2. Low experience, thermalling near stall: Total gliding experience was about 28 hours, with 5 on the DG-100 (purchased the previous August); 2 h in the last 90 days, 1 h in the last 28 days. Bronze gliding certificate. Video from earlier flights and the recorded track from this flight showed a thermalling style with average bank around 21° and average airspeed about 72 km/h — only a few km/h above the documented 1g stall speed of ~67 km/h. This is normal in weak lift but leaves little margin for any speed decay in the turn.
3. First spin from low-speed right turn: At about 11:29 UTC, peaking at ~530 m MSL (~470 m AGL) with airspeed at ~67 km/h and 18° bank, the DG-100 dropped into a steep nose-down spin to the right. Descent rate reached about 20 m/s. The spin developed from low airspeed in the right turn; no pre-existing technical defect was found.
4. Recovers after ~2 turns, ~150 m loss: Within about six seconds the pilot arrested the rapid descent and recovered from the first spin after roughly two turns, stabilising the glider at about 83 km/h. Total height loss in the recovery was about 150 m, putting the glider at ~320 m AGL.
5. Airbrakes left open; 2nd spin at 230 m: The DG-100 then flew north for ~30 s and started a gradual right turn back toward Drumshade. From ~285 m AGL it began descending at about 3 m/s at ~74 km/h. AAIB analysis (and manufacturer flight evaluation) showed this descent-rate / airspeed combination matches the airbrakes-open envelope; the airbrakes had likely been deployed deliberately to lose height, perhaps after the unsettling first spin. At ~230 m AGL the glider levelled in the turn with airspeed still ~74 km/h, then entered a second spin to the right. At impact both airbrakes were found extended and the airbrake handle was distorted forward, suggesting the pilot still had a hand on it; extended airbrakes raise the stall speed and increase the height needed to recover.
6. Unrecovered right spin into barley field: Still in a right-hand spin with a steep nose-down attitude, the DG-100 impacted a standing barley field about 0.9 km north of Drumshade at a descent rate of about 23 m/s. The aircraft was destroyed; the pilot was fatally injured. Examination found no pre-existing defects in the structure, controls or airspeed indicator. A post-mortem noted hypertensive heart disease but pathologist and AAIB considered an incapacitating episode unlikely given the successful recovery from the first spin.