What happened
On May 2, 2006, at approximately 17:00 local time, a Rolladen-Schneider LS3 glider, registration D-7901, was performing a local flight at the Ocaña Aerodrome in Toledo, Spain. The flight, which had lasted just over 90 minutes, was being conducted by a single pilot.
As the aircraft was on final approach to the grass runway 11, it was centered on the runway axis and stabilized at an altitude of approximately 10 meters. Witnesses observed that the aircraft was flying level but noted that the landing gear had not been extended. Suddenly, the aircraft entered a steep nose-down attitude and struck the ground violently near the runway threshold. The impact caused extensive damage to the cockpit area, and the pilot sustained fatal thoracic trauma.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's wreckage, ground impact marks, and the pilot's flight experience. Investigators analyzed the damage to the airframe, noting that the cockpit sustained significant damage while the wings and tail remained largely intact. The landing gear mechanism was found in an intermediate position, neither fully retracted nor locked in the down position.
Technical analysis of the flight controls revealed that the LS3 utilizes a single control stick for pitch and roll, while the left hand manages secondary controls, including airbrakes and the retractable landing gear. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's records, noting that while the pilot was licensed, much of their recent experience involved fixed-gear gliders, which lack the complexity of the retractable gear system found on the D-7901.
Findings
- The aircraft entered an excessive nose-down attitude at a very low altitude immediately before impact.
- The landing gear was not fully deployed or locked at the time of the accident.
- To operate the landing gear lever, the pilot would have been required to release the airbrake lever, which would have caused the airbrakes to automatically retract.
- The retraction of the airbrakes likely caused an increase in lift and airspeed, creating a tendency for the aircraft to pitch up.
- The pilot likely applied a sudden, forceful forward input on the control stick to counteract this upward tendency, resulting in the fatal dive.