Incident Overview
On October 13, 2006, a Piper Aircraft Corp. PA28-140 suffered a fatal accident near Dolsenhain in Saxony, Germany. The single-engine piston aircraft impacted an agricultural field approximately three kilometers before the runway at Altenburg-Nobitz airfield. Both occupants were killed, and the aircraft was destroyed. The incident occurred during a night visual flight rules (VFR) operation under conditions of mist and high fog.
Flight Operations and Timeline
The pilot, a 48-year-old private pilot with approximately 511 hours of total experience, departed Paderborn-Lippstadt at 18:11 local time with one passenger. The flight plan was filed as VFR-Night with an estimated duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Although the air traffic control tower at Altenburg-Nobitz advised against the flight due to cloud bases between 200 and 300 feet, the pilot proceeded.
At 19:42 local time, the pilot requested clearance to switch to the Altenburg-Nobitz frequency. The flight leader informed the pilot of current weather conditions, including visibility of 2,000 meters and cloud bases around 400 feet. The pilot inquired about the possibility of a simulated Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach for Runway 22, which was confirmed as possible. Subsequent attempts by the flight leader to establish radio contact between 19:55 and 19:59 were unsuccessful.
Accident Sequence
Radar and GPS data indicated that after the last radio contact, the pilot attempted to align with the ILS localizer signal. The aircraft overflew the localizer transmitter with a 90-degree intercept angle. During correction maneuvers, the aircraft descended below the glide path while increasing airspeed. A hunter reported seeing the aircraft emerge from the mist at an altitude of 15 to 20 meters before impacting the ground, exploding, and catching fire.
Meteorological Conditions
The German Weather Service (DWD) noted that widespread moist fog and high clouds affected the route. Visibility on the final segment dropped below 1,500 meters in places, with cloud bases as low as 300 feet above ground level at Altenburg-Nobitz. Forecasts had indicated deteriorating conditions with potential fog and low ceilings for the target area during the flight window.