Discus CS catches a wing on an outlanding in gusty wind

The pilot of a Discus CS was seriously injured when it ground-looped on an outlanding in a maize field. He had aerotowed from his home field five hours earlier for a cross-country. On the return leg the thermals faded and the wind turned strongly gusty; about 19 km short of the airfield he committed to a cultivated field. On short final a gust caught the glider and the left wing brushed the ground. The nose and cockpit hit hard, the asymmetric load swung the glider about 180 degrees, and the fuselage broke between the wing trailing edge and the tail. The decision to land out is called justified and safety-oriented.

1. Cross-country from the home field: The pilot was aerotowed at about 10:23 local for a cross-country south and then west, planning to return over Bleiberg.
2. Thermals fade on the return leg: Near Spittal an der Drau the thermals weakened and the wind turned strongly gusty. The glider lost height it could not regain.
3. Field chosen 19 km short: About 19 km short of the airfield the pilot committed to an outlanding on a cultivated maize field with a crop about 40 cm high.
4. Gust on short final: On the approach a gust caught the glider and destabilised it close to the ground.
5. Left wing brushes the ground: The left wing touched the ground, and the nose and cockpit then struck the field hard.
6. Ground loop and fuselage break: The asymmetric load swung the glider about 180 degrees about its vertical axis. The fuselage broke between the wing trailing edge and the tail.