Jantar 2B breaks up in an overspeed dive after the pilot becomes hypoxic in wave

A wave flight behind the Jeseníky ended in an uncontrolled dive when the pilot, with little experience above 4,000 m MSL, became hypoxic; he was fatally injured and the Jantar 2B destroyed. Four and a half hours after release the glider accelerated past its 250 km/h never-exceed speed. The left wing spar tore out at the joint between the two halves, both wings and the elevator separated in flight, and the fuselage spun down and struck a pasture almost vertically. Biochemical findings indicated he was conscious at the end, but the rotation kept him from jettisoning the canopy.

1. Second day of the wave camp: He had flown 3 h 30 min from the same field the day before, reaching 3,500 m MSL without trouble, and had said he hoped to reach 6,500 m MSL for a third FAI diamond. He took an aerotow at 08:15.
2. Oxygen taken through a bare hose: The glider carried a 2 l bottle, a regulator and a 2 m hose; no mask or nasal cannula was found in the wreckage. Two club members had seen him hold the hose between his teeth and advised a cannula.
3. Little time above 4,000 m: He had little practical experience of flight above 4,000 m MSL, where the rules require oxygen to be breathed continuously.
4. Hypoxia sets in unrecognised: About four and a half hours after release, the pilot progressively lost the ability to fly the glider. He made no radio call reporting difficulty, and the ground station heard nothing from him.
5. Speed runs away, wing joint fails: The glider descended uncontrolled and passed well beyond its 250 km/h never-exceed speed. Flutter set in, the left spar tore out at the joint between the wing halves, and both wings came free.
6. Pilot killed in near-vertical impact: The fuselage spun down and struck a pasture almost vertically at about 241 km/h, leaving a crater; the pilot was fatally injured. The wing halves and the elevator were found 4.5 to 7.1 km east of it.