What happened
On Monday, August 23, 1999, at 18:00, a Grob G 102-77 J glider, registration F-CFMT, was performing a local flight near the Saint-Gaudens aerodrome. The pilot had been released the previous day by an instructor at the same site. After reaching an altitude of 500 meters, the pilot released the tow cable.
Upon descending to 250 meters, the pilot was unable to locate rising air and decided to enter the left-hand traffic pattern for runway 07. While flying the downwind and base legs, the pilot believed they had correctly identified the standard ground references. However, during the final approach at approximately 100 meters altitude, the pilot realized the aircraft was not aligned with the runway. Due to the low altitude, a return to the standard circuit was impossible, forcing an emergency landing in a field located 2.5 kilometers southeast of the aerodrome. During the landing roll, the glider struck an electric fence, resulting in slight damage to the wing leading edge.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's recent flight history and the environmental conditions at the time of the incident. The weather was reported as CAVOK with winds from 070° at 6 to 10 knots. The pilot had completed three instructional flights in the region during the two preceding days, totaling 70 minutes of flight time, to familiarize themselves with the local area and traffic patterns.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the erroneal identification of ground references.
- The pilot experienced spatial disorientation while attempting to follow the aerodrome traffic pattern.
- The pilot's lack of familiarity with the specific local landmarks contributed to the deviation from the intended flight path.