Incident Overview
On July 24, 2024, at 12:09 UTC, a serious incident was recorded involving two aircraft in Class G airspace south of Ugerløse, Denmark. The event involved a Tecnam P2002 P-Mentor registered as OY-FFF and a DG Aviation GmbH DG-800B glider registered as OY-XUS. Both aircraft were operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in daylight conditions with visual meteorological conditions (VMC). No persons were injured, and neither aircraft sustained damage.
Operational Context
The pilot of OY-FFF, a flight student, was conducting a local solo navigation flight from Roskilde (EKRK). After departing runway 29 and leaving the control zone via the Køge reporting point, the student contacted Copenhagen Information for traffic updates. The aircraft climbed to 2,300 feet while heading north toward Ugerløse. During this phase, air traffic control provided two specific advisories regarding glider activity in the area.
Simultaneously, the pilot of OY-XUS departed from Slaglille (EKSL) and received clearance to operate within the Roskilde Terminal Area up to 3,000 feet. The glider was equipped with a Flarm system and a transponder. While the Flarm was activated to track other gliders, the transponder remained off to conserve battery power.
Sequence of Events
At an altitude of 2,300 feet south of Ugerløse, the student pilot in OY-FFF observed OY-XUS on a converging course directly ahead and to the right. The student executed a 90-degree evasive maneuver to the left. The closest horizontal distance between the two aircraft was approximately 25 meters.
The pilot of OY-XUS did not visually acquire OY-FFF until hearing the engine noise and subsequently seeing the nose of the motorized aircraft. This detection occurred too late for the glider pilot to execute an evasive maneuver. The incident occurred in Class G airspace, where no separation services are provided by air traffic control.
Regulatory Context
The investigation referenced Part-SERA regulations regarding right-of-way rules, which state that powered aircraft heavier than air must give way to gliders when on converging courses at approximately the same altitude. Additionally, VFR Flight Guide guidelines note that while transponders should generally be active, exceptions exist for aircraft with insufficient electrical supply, such as some gliders.