Ventus 2C pilot loses control on final after probably falling ill in the heat

On approach to Issoire, the pilot was fatally injured when his Ventus 2C dived almost vertically into a maize field about 500 m short of the runway. In a 36 °C heatwave, with the canopy shut and only a small side vent, heat built up through the wait on the ground and the launch. On tow he could not hold station behind the tug and released at 350 m instead of the usual 600, with no answer on the radio. The circuit was unsteady: large pitch and height changes, a wide final turn, a high approach. After the airbrakes came out on a call from the ground, the nose dropped sharply. He had an advanced cardiovascular disease that had gone undetected.

1. Aerotow departure in heatwave: The pilot took off by aerotow from RWY 36R at Issoire - Le Broc during a heatwave, with a surface temperature of 36°C, light northeasterly wind, and clear skies.
2. Cockpit unconditioned: The Ventus 2C cockpit had no air conditioning and was not sealed, ventilated only via a small lateral window; after canopy closure the pilot faced the full heatwave temperature.
3. Undetected cardiac pathology: An autopsy found previously undetected advanced cardiac pathology consistent with a risk of in-flight malaise; no cardiac antecedents had been declared before the flight.
4. Pilot unable to track behind tug: The towpilot saw the glider unable to hold its position behind the tug, low and off-axis during the climb; before he could call the pilot, he heard him announce cable release on the radio.
5. Early cable release at 350 m: After about two and a half minutes of tow, the pilot released at 350 m, well below the typical 600 m, and turned downwind without replying to radio calls or making position calls.
6. Unstable circuit and final: Witnesses saw large pitch and altitude swings through the circuit; the final turn was wide, overshooting the runway axis high. Airbrakes came out on instruction, but pitch kept oscillating.
7. Abrupt nose-down pitch on final: On short final, the nose suddenly dropped before the threshold and the glider descended near-vertically into a maize field; ruptured control rods matched ground impact, not prior failure.
8. Near-vertical impact, fatal: The glider struck a maize field about 500 m short of the RWY 36 threshold in a near-vertical impact, destroying the aircraft and fatally injuring the pilot.