DG-100 stalls into a spiral dive on a first flight on type

On his first flight on a DG-100, the pilot was fatally injured when he lost control in a low-speed turn and dropped into a spiral dive; aircraft destroyed. Experienced but new to the type, he was on a supervised checkout; after the exercises he worked thermals, then lost control — unwitnessed — descending in strong turbulence. With the CG near the aft limit, a slow turn in the gusty air likely triggered the stall. He jettisoned the canopy and pulled the parachute handle, but at ~50 m it could not open. The probable cause was loss of control during a height-loss descent; a gusty tailwind, aft CG, and type inexperience contributed.

1. Type-checkout flight: On his first flight on the DG-100, an experienced but type-new pilot flew a supervised checkout, aerotowing to 800 m AGL for assigned stall and speed exercises.
2. New to the type: The pilot had about 229 h overall and 366 landings but had never flown the DG-100 before.
3. Aft CG near limit: The CG sat at the extreme aft limit; the flat parachute seated the pilot further back than the manual's reference, near the critical edge.
4. Stall in a slow turn: After the exercises he worked thermals, then in a height-loss descent flew a slow turn in gusty, moderate-to-strong turbulence; the wing stalled and dropped. The onset went unwitnessed.
5. Spiral dive: The glider wound into a steep left spiral dive, accelerating to very high speed.
6. Late bailout attempt: At about 50 m he jettisoned the canopy and pulled the parachute handle, but there was no height for it to open fully.
7. Fatal impact: The glider struck the ground at roughly 195–220 km/h and was destroyed; the pilot was killed.