What happened
On 4 August 2000, at approximately 19:00 local time, a Schleicher ASW 22 glider, registration GB-499, was conducting a local flight near the Fuentemilanos aerodrome in Segovia, Spain. The aircraft had taken off earlier that afternoon via aero-tow. While flying in the vicinity of the Peñalara massif, the glider struck a rocky hillside at an elevation of approximately 2,000 meters.
The aircraft was traveling in a westward direction, following the downward slope of the terrain. The impact was a violent collision with the underside of the forward fuselage. The pilot, a 62-year-old male, sustained fatal injuries during the crash. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation examined the wreckage, meteorological data, and the topography of the accident site. Investigators analyzed the flight trajectory, noting that the glider hit the NW side of the mountain range near the Puerto del Reel pass.
Technical examination of the wreckage revealed that the glider was flying in a stable, symmetric attitude immediately before impact, with no significant banking or yawing. The landing gear and aerodynamic brakes were retracted, and the flaps were in a slightly negative position. The investigation also considered the impact of environmental factors, such as the position of the sun and potential wind variations at higher altitudes, which may have influenced the pilot's perception of airspeed and altitude.