What happened
On 7 April 2025, a Schleicher AS-K 13, registration G-DEVJ, was involved in an accident during a training flight at Lasham Airfield, Hampshire. The flight was being conducted for the purpose of an instructor revalidation. During the approach to landing, the pilot in command, who was acting in the capacity of a student, performed a ballooned landing.
Upon the sudden gain in height, the instructor immediately took control of the aircraft. However, the glider subsequently touched down tailwheel first and underwent a rapid de-rotation before coming to a halt. While the pilot in command escaped without injury, the instructor sustained one serious injury to the spine. The aircraft itself sustained no damage.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of the landing and the cockpit dynamics during the revalidation process. The pilot in command identified that while the initial landing anomaly was his own doing, he had anticipated a longer float across the airfield. He noted that a failure to intervene quickly enough to ensure the airbounces were closed and remained closed contributed to the sudden de-rotation.
Furthermore, the investigation looked into the pre-flight briefing. It was noted that the briefing lacked sufficient clarity regarding the roles being played; specifically, it did not explicitly warn the instructor not to assume a high standard of performance from the pilot acting as a student.
Findings
- The primary cause of the rapid de-rotation was the failure to ensure the airbrakes were closed and remained closed during the landing phase.
- The instructor's spinal injury was a direct result of the tailwheel-first touchdown and subsequent de-rotation.
- The pre-flight briefing did not adequately prepare the instructor for the potential for student-level errors during the role-playing exercise.