What happened
On June 30, 2018, a Glasflugel Standard Libelle glider, registration F-CEBN, was participating as an entrant in the Spanish soaring championship. The flight was part of a scheduled competition circuit involving several waypoints, including La Cerdagne and Andorra-la-Vieille.
After taking off at 13:25, the pilot reached the first waypoint at 15:05. While navigating toward the second waypoint near Andorra-la-Vieille, the pilot encountered aerological conditions that were less favorable than anticipated. In an attempt to utilize ridge lift to climb from 2,100 meters toward 2,700 meters, the pilot performed a left turn. During this maneuver, the aircraft drifted too close to the terrain, causing the horizontal stabilizers to strike the treetops. The impact resulted in the destruction of the glider and caused one injury to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's experience, the meteorological conditions, and the operational context of the competition. The pilot, an experienced aviator with approximately 1,800 hours of glider flight time and 16,000 hours of ATPL(A) experience, had flown 25 hours in the eight days preceding the accident.
Investigators analyzed the weather at the time of the accident, which featured a 10-knot southern wind with 20-knot gusts and decreasing solar radiation. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's decision-making process regarding the use of ridge lift and the impact of accumulated fatigue from several consecutive days of flying.