LS8-T spins out of right turn while thermalling; near-vertical impact

On 24 March 2008 the pilot of an LS8-T died in an orchard E of Markdorf during a thermalling flight; the aircraft was destroyed. The glider had launched on the winch from Markdorf at about 12:30 LT with the sustainer engine retracted. Witnesses observed it circling south of the Gehrenberg. From a right-hand turn the pitch and bank angles suddenly increased; the glider entered a spin and impacted the ground almost vertically. The pilot had about 597 flight hours but only 6 on the LS8-T, and the accident flight was only his second flight of the year. The on-board flight logger was destroyed; no technical defects were identified.

1. Winch launch for thermalling: At about 12:30 LT the LS8-T launches on the winch from Markdorf glider airfield for a thermalling flight, with the sustainer engine retracted in the fuselage.
2. Low currency on type: The pilot has held a glider licence since 1979 with about 597 flight hours overall but only about 6 hours on the LS8-T. The accident flight is only his second flight of 2008; the previous flight was a 15-minute two-seater sortie two days earlier.
3. Pitch/bank spike out of right turn: After a few minutes of flight witnesses see the glider circling south of the Gehrenberg. From a right-hand turn the pitch and bank angles suddenly increase.
4. Spin entry, no recovery: The glider enters a spin and does not recover before ground contact. No distress call is transmitted.
5. Near-vertical impact in orchard: The glider impacts an orchard at the eastern edge of Markdorf almost vertically. The cockpit is destroyed; wings and fuselage remain joined and the tail boom is broken about one metre forward of the empennage. Examination finds no technical defects; all breaks are attributable to the impact. The on-board flight logger is destroyed and no flight-path reconstruction is possible. The aircraft is destroyed and the pilot is fatally injured.