Discus b ridge-flight collision; probable sudden incapacitation

The pilot of a Discus b died in a near-vertical impact on a slope near Gryon during a ridge flight; the aircraft was destroyed. Newly transitioned to the type, the pilot had launched at 13:04 from Bex by aerotow and released NW of the Col de la Croix. After ~45 min on the local ridges, witnesses saw the glider continuing its turn against the slope with increasing bank and pitch-down, without any recovery attempt, until it struck the ground almost vertically. No technical defects were identified; the probable cause was sudden in-flight incapacitation against pre-existing chronic illness undeclared to the AME.

1. Aerotow Bex; release NW Col de la Croix: At 13:04 LT the Discus b launched on aerotow from Bex in second position; the pilot released about ten minutes later NW of the Col de la Croix for ridge soaring near Gryon.
2. Low experience on type: The pilot had held a glider licence about a year, with about 60 total hours and only 1 h 29 min on the Discus b across three transition flights — his first solo on type outside the circuit.
3. Witnesses: unusual flight path: After about 45 minutes of ridge soaring, model-aircraft enthusiasts at Les Frasses noticed the glider; one heard an unusual whistle, another saw it turning with no apparent recovery attempt.
4. Turn against slope, no recovery: The glider continued its turn back into the hillside with increasing bank and an ever-steeper nose-down attitude; no recovery input was observed, and the final turn ended nearly vertical.
5. Near-vertical impact in pasture: The Discus b impacted a pasture near Gryon almost vertically; the cockpit penetrated the soil, the wing leading edges stopped further penetration, and the fuselage broke aft of the wing.
6. Probable incapacitation; undeclared: No pre-existing defect was found; the pilot held a valid medical but had not disclosed a chronic illness and a recent operation, and the flight path suggests a sudden incapacitation.