S.T.R.A. CB 15 Crystal stall in low circling attempt on outlanding — tree impact

An S.T.R.A. CB 15 Crystal struck trees in an outlanding attempt near Sigloy (Loiret) during a club competition; the pilot was injured and the aircraft destroyed. For the pilot's first ever outlanding he committed to a pre-spotted field at ~200 m AGL — below the 400-500 m recommended decision height. On final at <50 m he felt turbulence and attempted to circle to regain altitude (manual: no circling below 200 m). The glider stalled, dove, and struck trees. BEA cited the low-altitude circling attempt; the competition departure had never been opened.

1. Club competition return leg: On day three of the club's 'Coupe des débutants' competition, the pilot took off in winch launch at 15:24, reached ~900 m, passed the first turn point, then headed for the second turn point. Unable to maintain height, he turned back at ~600 m.
2. Competition departure not given: Per the competition organiser, the departure line was never opened and there was no formal cancellation either. Two of three pilots departed on the circuit on their own initiative. BEA: the lack of formalised cancellation may have led the pilots to continue, believing the competition was still on.
3. First-ever outlanding: Per BEA, the pilot stated he had never outlanded before. He also stated that, absent the competition, he would likely have stayed local. This was a load-bearing context per BEA's contributing factor analysis (over-confidence + depreciation of outlanding as an option).
4. Outlanding decision at low height: On approach to Châteauneuf-sur-Loire at ~300-400 m AGL, the pilot judged he was too low to continue, and committed to a pre-spotted field at ~200 m height — below the 400-500 m recommended decision height for outlandings.
5. Reduced approach speed: The pilot adopted ~80 km/h to 'minimise landing energy', 10-20 km/h below the recommended 90-100 km/h (1.3 × Vs ≈ 90 km/h for this Crystal). This reduced stall margin near the ground.
6. Circling attempt below 50 m: At the end of the base leg of the planned PTL at <50 m height, the pilot felt 'turbulence' and abandoned the planned pattern to start circling to regain altitude — contrary to the flight manual, which advises against any circling below 200 m.
7. Stall, dive, no recovery: During the low-altitude circling at reduced speed the glider stalled. The pilot 'released the stick' (pushed forward) feeling the sink rate was too large; the glider entered a slight dive. Pulling at the last moment was insufficient.
8. Collision with woods: The glider struck trees at the edge of a wood. Wreckage compact; both airbrakes found fully extended (gear may have retracted at impact). Glider destroyed; pilot injured.