DG 400 stalls in low turn to final at insufficient airspeed

The pilot of a DG 400 was fatally injured when the glider stalled in a low turn to final at insufficient airspeed; destroyed. The pilot self-launched from Straubing for a competition at Arnbruck and arrived overhead at ~600 m AGL in a 5–10 kt southerly. He accepted a downwind landing on RWY 34, flew three right full-circles to lose excess height and approached from the south to ~150 m AGL. From below 100 m AGL he entered a left turn toward the runway at insufficient airspeed, the glider stalled, banked off and impacted at high pitch ~160 m short of the asphalt threshold. CG 0.83 mm aft of the rear limit had no effect; no technical faults.

1. Self-launch to competition at Arnbruck: The pilot self-launched the DG 400 from Straubing for a competition at Arnbruck and arrived overhead after ~22 min at ~600 m AGL — too high for the pattern.
2. 5–10 kt southerly; RWY 34 downwind: The pilot accepted a landing on RWY 34 with a 5–10 kt southerly tailwind.
3. Three right full-circles to lose height: Logger data showed three right full-circles overhead the airfield to lose excess height before turning onto a southerly final.
4. Low final at ~150 m, then below 100 m: From a southerly approach at ~150 m AGL the pilot continued down to below 100 m and turned left toward the runway.
5. Stall in low-altitude left turn: In the low left turn the glider was flown below stall speed, exceeded the critical angle of attack, banked off abruptly and dropped.
6. Near-vertical impact 160 m short: The glider impacted at high nose-down pitch about 160 m short of the threshold; the pilot was fatally injured and the airframe destroyed.