Duo Discus T lands hard on an unsuitable meadow after a late outlanding decision

The passenger was seriously injured and the glider substantially damaged in a hard outlanding on a mountain meadow. With no lift left to the west, the pilot turned back down a valley and extended the sustainer below the flight manual's 300 m AGL minimum, then retracted it and committed to the only meadow still within reach. The touchdown was hard enough to shatter the canopy, and during the rollout the glider went through a game fence. The outlanding decision was taken too late and too low, onto ground that suited it poorly; better fields had been available earlier.

1. Mountain cross-country: The pilot set off from Wiener Neustadt toward Salzburg with a passenger, released from aerotow at about 1,300 m MSL and worked the ridges along the route.
2. Lift runs out: After the last climb the pilot pressed west, found nothing, and turned back toward a valley at about 1,150 m MSL.
3. Sustainer extended too low: To stop the descent the pilot extended the sustainer below the flight manual's 300 m AGL minimum, then described being boxed into the valley.
4. Engine stowed, field committed: The pilot retracted the engine and committed to the only meadow still within reach. Better fields had been passed earlier.
5. Hard touchdown: The landing was hard enough to shatter the canopy. The pilot braked on the ground as the glider rolled out on the sloping meadow.
6. Fence strike on rollout: The glider went through a game fence with the fuselage and rolled back a few metres. The passenger was seriously injured.