ASW 24 E spins into a wooded slope while soaring low in thermal turbulence

The pilot was killed while working the south side of the Dobratsch when the ASW 24 E dropped over its left wing and spun into the trees. He had released from the tow at 1 322 m MSL and worked the mountain for about a quarter of an hour at around 100 km/h. Another glider pilot who was airborne at the time saw the wing drop and the glider turn several times before it touched trees and struck the forest floor steeply at about 1 020 m MSL. The logger showed a normal flight up to that point, and nothing indicated a pre-existing technical defect or any impairment of the pilot. Local wind and thermal conditions at the time remained unknown.

1. Soaring the Dobratsch south side: The pilot released from the tow at 1 322 m MSL and soared along the mountain for about fifteen minutes, the recorded speeds around 100 km/h.
2. Thermal conditions near the slope: The local wind and thermal conditions at the time were not known; the influence of thermal separation was recorded as a probable cause.
3. Drop over the left wing: Near a rock face on the south side the glider dropped over its left wing. Another glider pilot who was airborne at the time watched it happen.
4. Several turns in a spin to the left: The cockpit damage, the destroyed left wing and the steep impact angle indicated a spin to the left. There was too little height above the ground to end it.
5. Tree contact, then steep impact: The glider touched trees and struck the forest floor at a steep angle at about 1 020 m MSL. The pilot was fatally injured and the aircraft destroyed.