What happened
During a non-commercial flight training session at Frederikssund Nord, a Grob G103A Twin Astir, registration OY-XOJ, was involved in an accident during an aborted winch launch. The flight instructor had pre-planned to terminate the winch launch at an altitude of approximately 100 meters.
Immediately following the termination of the winch launch at the intended altitude, the student pilot lowered the nose of the glider to attempt a straight-in landing. However, the instructor noted that the descent angle became too steep and the airspeed increased excessively. To manage the situation, the instructor took control of the aircraft. During the flare maneuver, the instructor realized that the remaining runway length was insufficient to bring the glider to a complete stop. In an attempt to manage the landing, the instructor allowed the right wing to contact the ground, which triggered a ground loop. The aircraft eventually came to a halt approximately 70 meters before the end of the runway.
The investigation
The Danish Accident Investigation Board conducted an initial safety investigation into the event. Based on the findings, the commission decided not to pursue further investigation steps under the provisions of EU Regulation No 996/2010 and the Danish Civil Aviation Act.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained substantial damage during the incident.
- The primary cause of the ground loop was the inability to stop the aircraft within the remaining runway length following a steep and high-speed descent.