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. Investigators 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. Aerotow at 13:34 local time, with cable release at 13:42 at 1,645 m AMSL.
2. Strong turbulence over Ubaye relief: CAVOK conditions with a mean SW wind of 10 kt gusting 25-30 kt produced moderate-to-strong low-level turbulence over the relief, driven by strong thermals and slope/valley breezes.
3. Possible cardiac vulnerability: Post-mortem exam found a condition that could predispose to incapacitating cardiac rhythm disturbances, though an in-flight malaise could not be confirmed. Oxygen system found empty.
4. Return glide SW at ~1 m/s: The glider climbed in thermals heading east, peaking at 4,200 m at 15:27, then turned southwest at 15:30 from 4,015 m. From 15:54 it glided steadily with a mean descent rate of about 1 m/s.
5. Sudden ~32 m/s descent at 263 m AGL: At 2,918 m altitude and 263 m above terrain, the glider abruptly entered a steep descent, reaching a calculated rate of about 32 m/s according to GNSS data.
6. 50° descent path toward slope: The glider then descended a further 150 m vertically while travelling 130 m horizontally, a path of about 50°, toward the mountainside near the Tête de l'Aupet.
7. Head-on impact, aircraft destroyed: The glider struck the mountainside head-on at ~2,690 m on a 30° slope, destroying the fuselage front; the pilot was fatally injured. Descent cause remained undetermined.