DG-400 stalls turning towards the slope with a tailwind masking the speed decay

The pilot was killed on his first flight in 274 days when his DG-400 stalled into a snow-covered mountainside. He had self-launched an hour earlier and was tracking along a slope across the wind when he turned away from it, then kept turning until he was heading straight at the slope, about 20 m above the ridge ahead. The airspeed fell to the stall, a wing dropped sharply and there was no height to recover. Being at about ridge height may have prompted an instinctive pull, and a gusty tailwind made the loss of airspeed harder to see.

1. Self-launch, first flight of the season: The pilot took off from his home field in the valley and flew east. It was his first flight in 274 days, on a type he had 456 hours on.
2. West along the range: About twelve minutes out he turned west and flew along the range towards the Lesachtal.
3. Tracking along the slope across wind: In the last phase of the flight he flew along the slope, roughly at right angles to the oncoming wind.
4. Turn in towards the slope: He turned away from the slope into wind, then continued the turn until he was pointing directly at it, about 20 m above the ridge ahead.
5. Airspeed decays under a tailwind: The tailwind component raised the groundspeed and made the falling airspeed harder to recognise. Being level with the ridge may have prompted an instinctive pull.
6. Stall and sharp wing drop: The speed fell to the stall and the glider dropped a wing, probably to the right, too low for the pilot to regain control.
7. Impact on a snow-covered slope: It struck a 23-degree snow-covered slope at 1940 m. A witness flying nearby saw the glider in the snowfield and alerted the police by mobile phone.