Ka 8 outlanding and stall near Birrfeld airfield amid strong winds

On April 17, 1966, an Alexander Schleicher Ka 8 experienced a hard landing 500 meters south of Birrfeld airfield in Switzerland. The pilot was returning from a thermic flight when strong northerly winds forced an outlanding. While attempting to land, the glider stalled from approximately 4 meters above the ground, resulting in significant damage to the wing attachment at the fuselage. No injuries were reported.

1. Local thermic flight: The pilot launched from Birrfeld for a local thermic soaring flight in the vicinity of the airfield.
2. Front brings strong wind: After about 1.5 hours a front approached, bringing strong local northerly wind that prevented the pilot from reaching Birrfeld for landing.
3. Forced outlanding: Unable to reach the airfield, the pilot committed to an outlanding in a field about 500 meters south of Birrfeld.
4. Low turn before wires: In low height over the ground, the pilot attempted to turn in for landing in front of an electrical power line.
5. Speed allowed to decay: During this low-altitude turn the pilot allowed the airspeed to decrease excessively, causing the glider to lose speed and sink from about 4 meters height.
6. Outlanding - damage: The glider dropped hard onto the ground during the outlanding, significantly damaging the wing-to-fuselage attachment but causing no injuries.