What happened
On August 12, 2012, at approximately 13:20 h, a Rolladen Schneider LS-7 glider, registration EC-FKP, was performing a private flight at the Santa Cilia de Jaca aerodrome in Huesca, Spain. The flight began with a standard tow takeoff, reaching an altitude of approximately 800 m before the glider released from the tow aircraft. After a 25-minute flight, the pilot initiated the landing sequence.
During the final approach to runway 27, the aircraft struck an embankment located in the approach area. During this impact, the right wing became entangled in dense bushes, causing the glider to lift, enter a sharp right-hand turn, and subsequently crash into the ground near the threshold of the runway. The impact caused the fuselage to break into two pieces.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight path, the aircraft's mechanical state, and the pilot's actions. The pilot reported that during the short final, the aircraft's speed dropped to between 90-95 km/h, which was below the reference approach speed of 100 km/h. To compensate for the low altitude and low speed, the pilot attempted to dive to gain kinetic energy, hoping to climb over the embankment.
Witness testimony from the aerodrome confirmed that the aircraft appeared to be flying higher than usual initially, prompting the pilot to deploy the airbrakes. However, the witness also noted that when the airbrakes were retracted, the aircraft was at an abnormally low altitude. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's experience, noting they had 150 total flight hours, with only 9:30 hours specifically in this aircraft type.