Grob Twin II clips a tree stretching for the airfield instead of landing out

On the handling pilot's first alpine flight, a Grob Twin II Acro struck a tree at ~25 m up stretching back toward Ascona, crashed onto a road, and was destroyed; the front pilot was seriously hurt and a pedestrian slightly injured. Released into SW-wind sink, it found no lift and kept losing height. The turn-back came late, and sink over Losone dropped it to 400 m, out of reach. The pilot lined up a field landing but abandoned it at 80 m and pressed on low over a town. Licensed three weeks earlier with no time on type and no alpine or local experience, he was faulted for the late turn-back, giving up the outlanding, and poor preparation.

1. Local aerotow flight: The Grob was aerotowed from Ascona for a local soaring flight with two pilots aboard and released at 1100-1200 m at the entrance of the Centovalli.
2. Green handling pilot: The front, handling pilot had been licensed three weeks earlier with 65 h total and no time on type, on his first flight in the region and on the type, and was restricted to local flights.
3. No lift in SW-wind sink: Released into a south-westerly downdraught area, the glider found no lift over two figure-eights or across the Centovalli and steadily lost height.
4. Dumped to 400 m over Losone: Turning back toward Ascona late, the glider met a downdraught zone over Losone that abruptly brought it to about 400 m, too low to reach the airfield.
5. Abandons the outlanding: The pilot set up a precautionary landing in a field but at about 80 m above ground abandoned it and pressed on toward Ascona at low level over a built-up area.
6. Low-level over houses: About 800 m short of runway 17 and only ~25 m above ground, the glider was skimming a densely populated area.
7. Tree strike, crash - serious injury: The right wing struck tree branches, the glider rotated 180° and crashed onto a road; it was destroyed, the front pilot seriously injured, a pedestrian slightly hurt, and a car and building damaged.