What happened
On July 8, 2012, a Rolladen-Schneider LS6 glider, registration D-2839, was participating in a gliding competition at the Issoudun Le Fay aerodrome. While returning to the airfield, the pilot entered the base leg for runway 29 using a left-hand pattern. Notably, the pilot did not broadcast an arrival message on the aerodrome's self-information frequency (123.5 MHz).
While monitoring the local glider frequency (123.375 MHz), the pilot heard a towplane pilot announcing a final approach. Unable to visually locate the towplane, the pilot performed a 360-degree safety turn to the left. Following this maneuver, the aircraft was at an insufficient altitude to reach the runway threshold. Consequently, the pilot decided to perform a field landing in a rapeseed field located before the runway.
During the final approach, the pilot believed the landing gear had not been extended. The pilot attempted to operate the gear lever without first verifying the actual position of the gear. In doing so, the pilot inadvertently retracted the gear, which was already extended. The glider made a hard landing in the field, bounced several times, and underwent a ground loop. The impact caused the tail boom to break.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot, who held a glider pilot license since 1989 and had 1,310 total flight hours, failed to communicate his presence or contact the towplane pilot. Evidence showed that the towplane was at the end of a downwind leg near the threshold of runway 29 when the glider entered the circuit.
Furthermore, the investigation noted a discrepancy in circuit procedures: while the aerodrome's Visual Approach Chart (VAC) specifies a left-hand pattern for airplanes and a right-hand pattern for gliders on runway 29, the pilot had utilized the airplane pattern.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the pilot's decision to perform a delay turn without first confirming the exact position of the other aircraft.
- The pilot failed to verify the landing gear position before attempting to operate the control.
- Contributing factors included the failure to broadcast a position report and the decision to fly a circuit pattern inconsistent with the established glider procedures for that runway.