LS 4 stalls in low outlanding turn behind lee-side slope, no recovery

The pilot of an LS 4 was fatally injured when the glider stalled in a low outlanding turn behind a lee-side slope, spun and hit nearly vertically; destroyed. The pilot — 216 h total, 92 h on type — aerotow-launched from Hahnweide and after ~1 hour committed to an outlanding ~60 km SW. The approach ran behind a westward-sloping ridge in pronounced lee of a 7 kt easterly with windshear and sink — the lee effect was misjudged. At ~50 m AGL in a turn toward the field the pilot undershot the bank's minimum airspeed, the LS 4 stalled, spun with no height to recover. It hit a brush slope at the east edge of Oberdigisheim. No technical faults.

1. Cross-country from Hahnweide: Launched at 11:00 by aerotow from Hahnweide for a cross-country flight; the LS 4 proceeded uneventfully for nearly an hour.
2. Lee path behind westward-sloping ridge: While preparing to outland near Oberdigisheim, the approach ran behind a westward-sloping hillside, placing the glider in the lee of the wind, with windshear and increased sink.
3. Lee effect misjudged: The lee effect along the approach path was misjudged; the pilot continued the approach without anticipating the change in wind and sink.
4. Below stall speed in low outlanding turn: At about 50 m AGL in a turn toward the selected outland field, the pilot flew below the minimum airspeed for the bank; the LS 4 exceeded its critical angle of attack.
5. Stall → spin at low altitude: The stall led to a spin from very low altitude; no recovery height was available.
6. Near-vertical impact on brush slope: The glider struck a westward-sloping, brush-covered strip at the edge of Oberdigisheim, near-vertical; the pilot was fatally injured, the airframe destroyed, no technical faults found.