ASW 20 strikes a tree circling low on an outlanding search

A pilot was seriously injured and the ASW 20 destroyed on a cross-country from Niederöblarn, near Schladming. With no lift left in the Schladming area, the pilot began looking for somewhere to land out. A witness watched him circling there, by which point the glider was already so low that it struck a tree about 8 m tall. It then fell onto the slope below.

1. Cross-country from Niederöblarn: The pilot launched from Niederöblarn at 10:28 for a cross-country and was in the Schladming area later in the flight.
2. Starts the field search too low: The pilot began looking for somewhere to land out only once the thermals near Schladming had gone.
3. Circling at low height: A witness saw the glider flying circles there. By that point the height was already very low.
4. Catches an 8 m tree: The glider touched a tree about 8 m tall.
5. Down onto a falling slope: The glider fell onto a falling slope and was destroyed. The pilot was seriously injured.