What happened
On July 2, 1971, at approximately 11:36 AM, a pilot initiated a training flight from the Hohenems-Dornbirn airfield in Austria. The DFS-Weihe glider, registered as HB-5mal58, was towed for roughly 10 to 12 minutes before the pilot released from the tow cable at an altitude of approximately 1,200 meters near Hohen Kugel.
Following two hours of soaring in the vicinity of Hohe Kugel and Hoher Preschen, the pilot flew over the valley between Viktorsberg and Fraxern. While performing low-altitude circling near a slope, the aircraft entered a forward pitch and crashed into a wooded area at Malonskopf, located about 10 km south of the departure airfield. The impact occurred at an elevation of approximately 610 meters. The pilot sustained minor injuries, but the aircraft was destroyed, and minor third-party property damage was reported.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft wreckage, weather conditions, and pilot testimony. Investigators found no evidence suggesting the aircraft was in an unairworthy condition. Weather reports indicated visibility exceeding 20 km with light haze below 1,500 meters, and moderate turbulence near the terrain.
Regarding the aircraft's legal status, it was noted that the HB-558 had been sold from Switzerland to Austria, and its Swiss registration had been deleted on May 10, 1971. However, the new owner had failed to register the glider in the Austrian aircraft register. The pilot, an experienced glider pilot with over 41 hours of flight time, showed no signs of health impairment at the time of the accident.
Findings
Evidence from the pilot and witnesses indicated that the aircraft was circling at a low airspeed near the terrain. The investigation established that the pilot fell below the minimum flying speed, causing the glider to pitch forward. Local turbulence near the slope likely contributed to the aircraft reaching this critical flight state. Due to the low altitude, the pilot was unable to recover the aircraft before impact.