Territorial golden eagle attacks LS 6-c18 in shared thermal; canopy broken

An LS 6-c18 thermalling at 2,920 m MSL near Winteregg in the Berner Oberland was struck by a golden eagle that abruptly turned toward the glider in the shared thermal; the pilot was uninjured but the canopy destroyed. The eagle hit the right side of the canopy, shattered it and lodged briefly in the cockpit. The pilot pushed it out, and a second full-width crack developed. With the glider still controllable he flew direct to Thun (LSZW) and landed; the right canopy half was gone and the seat back broken. A Swiss study attributed such attacks to territorial behaviour: eagles treat gliders as conspecific intruders inside about 100 m.

1. Cruise thermaling: While on a cross-country flight from Thun, the pilot was circling in a strong thermal near Winteregg at about 2920 m.
2. Eagle attack turn: After initially sharing the same thermal without conflict, a golden eagle abruptly reversed its circling direction and turned left toward the glider when within close proximity.
3. Canopy collision: The eagle collided with the right side of the canopy about 400 m above the Winteregg ridge, shattering that section and becoming briefly trapped in the cockpit.
4. Pilot clears cockpit: The pilot manually pushed the eagle out of the cockpit, then assessed controllability and suspected possible tail damage after hearing an additional loud bang from a secondary canopy crack.
5. Return to Thun: The pilot decided to terminate the flight, secured loose canopy fragments and cockpit materials, and made blind position calls on Thun frequency while flying directly back to the airfield.
6. Hard landing - damage: The pilot carried out an uneventful direct landing at Thun with no injuries, but the glider sustained damage including a missing right canopy section, a full-width canopy crack, and a broken seat back.