LS-4b drops onto the runway from an unstable final in variable wind

A student pilot was slightly injured in a hard landing at Buochs after an unstable final approach; the LS-4b glider was substantially damaged. On a solo training flight, the student returned early from a planned thermal soaring flight and set up to land on runway 06 in a variable, gusty wind. The duty instructor, airborne nearby in a two-seater, pointed out the wind and told him to approach a little faster. The approach was normal until just before the threshold, when the final became unstable in a variable headwind; the glider struck the runway, bounced back into the air, and came to rest beside the runway.

1. Solo student training flight: A glider student with about 19 total hours (roughly 4 on the LS-4) was on a solo training flight, tasked with thermal soaring near the Rigi.
2. Returns early to land on runway 06: After a short time the student returned to the airfield and set up in the holding area to land on runway 06.
3. Variable, gusty crosswind: The wind was variable with crosswind components; the duty instructor, airborne nearby in a two-seater, pointed it out and advised a faster approach.
4. Final becomes unstable near threshold: The approach was normal until just before the threshold, when in a variable headwind the final approach became unstable.
5. Hits runway, bounces, stops off it: The glider struck the runway, lifted off again, and came to rest beside the runway; the student was slightly injured and the glider substantially damaged.