Discus 2C falls at ~32 m/s into mountain in turbulent conditions

A Schempp-Hirth Discus 2C struck a mountainside at ~2,690 m near the Tête de l'Aupet; the pilot was fatally injured and the aircraft destroyed. The visiting pilot had aerotowed from Gap-Tallard, climbed to 4,200 m east of Gap, then turned back at 82 km out and glided SW at ~1 m/s mean. At 263 m above terrain the glider abruptly entered a ~32 m/s descent and struck the slope 150 m below on a 50° path. No technical defect was found. BEA cited strong turbulence over Ubaye relief, with possible cardiac vulnerability not ruled out.

1. Mountain soaring from Gap-Tallard: Local mountain-soaring flight from Gap-Tallard (05). Aerotow 13:34 local; cable release 13:42 at 1,645 m AMSL. Pilot 62 yo, SPL since 2001 with aerotow / self-launch / motorglider ratings; 2,500 h glider (35 in last 3 months) and PPL(A) since 1993 (~900 h airplane). Visiting from Austria with three other club pilots for a planned 2-week stay at Gap-Tallard; had flown 4 local flights with this glider from Gailtal (Austria) in Apr-Jul 2023 (23 h).
2. Strong turbulence over Ubaye relief: CAVOK, 16 °C, SW wind 10 kt mean with 25-30 kt gusts. AROME model: gusts 2-3× mean wind → moderate-to-strong low-level turbulence over the relief; driven by strong thermals (30 °C in Ubaye valley) plus slope and valley breezes. Hikers at 2,700 m observed 50-60 km/h SW wind. Pilots flying the region that day reported 'getting shaken'; at Gap, ~40 kt at 3,000 m.
3. Possible cardiac vulnerability: BEA pathology: examinations revealed a context that could favour the occurrence of incapacitating cardiac rhythm disturbances. No element allowed certain accreditation of an in-flight malaise. Aircraft was equipped with oxygen (pressure gauge found at zero, selector between 'normal' and 'delay' — possibly used in flight and bled out post-impact).
4. Return glide SW at ~1 m/s: Climbed in thermals heading east; peak 4,200 m at 15:27. Turned SW at 15:30 at 4,015 m / 82 km from Gap-Tallard. Worked a few more thermals, then from 15:54 glided steadily with a ~1 m/s mean descent rate.
5. Sudden ~32 m/s descent at 263 m AGL: At 16:07:47, at 2,918 m altitude and 263 m above terrain, the glider abruptly entered a steep descent. The last calculated descent rate from GNSS data was ~32 m/s. The last recorded point at 16:07:49 was 2,853 m.
6. 50° descent path toward slope: From the last recorded point the glider descended a further 150 m vertically while travelling 130 m horizontally — a descent path of approximately 50°, toward the mountainside near the Tête de l'Aupet.
7. Head-on impact, aircraft destroyed: Head-on collision with the mountainside at ~2,690 m AMSL on a ~30° slope. Front fuselage destroyed, wing leading edges destroyed; rear fuselage relatively intact. Pitch and yaw control continuity established; one roll-axis link was missing from the wreckage. Airbrakes found extended (BEA could not determine if deployed before impact or as a result). ELT antenna severed by impact. Pilot fatally injured. BEA conclusion: no technical defect; the rapid descent could result from an in-flight malaise or from aerological factors in the prevailing turbulence — neither could be proven.