What happened
On March 24, 2006, an Aquila AT01 departed Finkenwerder Airport near Hamburg at 12:01 local time for a local flight under visual flight rules (VFR). The aircraft carried two occupants: a 24-year-old pilot with 55 total flight hours and a 38-year and 1347 total flight hours. After departing the Hamburg Tower control zone via the Delta waypoint, the aircraft flew northeast, passing north of the Lübeck control zone toward Plön.
At 12:58, radar tracking of the aircraft ended. The aircraft was discovered by a passerby at approximately 15:50 in a field near the last recorded radar position. The impact occurred approximately 15 km northeast of Plön.
The investigation
The BFU examined the wreckage and analyzed radar data from the Hohn antenna. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft was destroyed upon impact. The engine was found in a crater approximately 0.5 meters deep, and the wings had sustained significant damage, with the upper and lower skins separating at the bonded areas, though no irregularities were found in the bonding itself. The fuselage was severed near the tail section, and the tail assembly had folded forward onto the fuselage.
Investigators also performed autopsies and toxicological examinations on both occupants. The investigation found no evidence of fire following the impact, and the cockpit carbon monoxide detector showed a normal color.
Findings
- The impact resulted in two fatalities.
- There was no evidence of physiological or health-related impairment in either occupant.
- Toxicological results ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning.
- The aircraft's control surfaces, including the rudder and ailerons, remained intact despite various structural fractures caused by the impact force.
- The investigation established that the occupants died immediately upon impact.