DG-808 thermals below 100 m AGL, falls vertically on mountain slope

The 62-year-old pilot of a DG-808 C was fatally injured when the aircraft fell almost vertically into a snow-covered slope at ~1,400 m MSL ~4 km W of Kreuth, 6 km SW of Rottach-Egern. The 62-year-old pilot (3,900 h, 125 h on type, 53 h in 7 days) had aerotowed from Unterwössen at 09:22, climbed under engine to 2,850 m over Nußdorf am Inn by 09:38 and retracted the engine. Heading W then S past Waakirchen, the glider descended through weak thermals. By 10:08 it was at the Raueckalm at ~170 m AGL; at 10:10 still searching for a thermal below 100 m AGL. At 10:13 it fell almost vertically into the slope.

1. Aerotow then climb to 2,850 m: DG-808 C on a cross-country day from Unterwössen, near-cloudless VMC. Released at 340 m AGL near Landerhausen, the pilot deployed the engine and climbed west to 2,850 m over Nußdorf am Inn.
2. Cross-country glide W and S: At 2,850 m the pilot retracted the engine, continuing as pure sailplane west past Bad Feilnbach. At 10:00 the pilot turned south toward Wachselmoos-Alm.
3. Weak thermals, steady height loss: Through the southbound leg the glider lost height continuously, passing Wachselmoos-Alm at ~530 m AGL and reaching the Raueckalm terrain at ~170 m AGL only three minutes later.
4. Reached Raueckalm at ~170 m AGL: By ~10:08 the glider was at the Raueckalm terrain at only ~170 m above ground in mountainous country. The pilot attempted to use the weak thermals there but height continued to decrease.
5. Thermalling attempt below 100 m AGL: By around 10:10 the pilot was searching for a thermal connection below 100 m above ground, over a steep snow-covered slope.
6. Near-vertical impact on snow slope: At 10:13 the glider fell almost vertically into the mountainside near Kreuth. The cockpit was smashed and the rear fuselage twisted; the aircraft was destroyed, the pilot fatally injured.