What happened
On July 29, 2006, a pilot was conducting a solo photography flight over the Eifel region. The flight began at Dahlemer Binz airfield, where the pilot refueled the HB 202 V2 before departing. The mission involved capturing aerial photographs of the landscape, specifically targeting a hunting stand belonging to a friend.
Approximately 45 minutes after takeoff, witnesses observed the aircraft approaching the town of Kall from the north at a low altitude. The aircraft was seen performing several turns around the hunting stand. Following these maneuvers, the aircraft turned north again, but then abruptly pitched to the right and plummeted to the ground. The aircraft struck the terrain approximately 80 meters from the hunting stand, impacting with the right wing and the forward fuselage first, before coming to rest against a tree.
The investigation
The BFU investigation examined the wreckage and the flight data available from the pilot's equipment. The aircraft, an Austrian-registered HB 202 V2, had been in service since 1989 and was within its inspection interval. Investigators found that the forward fuselage was crushed up to the main bulkhead, and the right wing was shattered up to the flaps. However, the propeller, protected by the tail boom, remained undamaged, and the engine showed no external defects, though the drive shaft was bent.
Investigators also recovered a Nikon D200 digital camera used during the flight. The memory card contained approximately 100 images of the Eifel landscape, as well as several photos of the accident site and the hunting stand. The sequence of these images confirmed that the aircraft had been performing low-altitude left-hand turns around the target location prior to the crash.
Findings
- The pilot, who had recently regained medical certification after a period of unfitness, was performing his third solo flight since the renewal of his license.
- The aircraft's engine appeared to have operated uniformly until the moment of impact.
- The aircraft experienced an abrupt right-hand bank and descent during low-altitude maneuvering.
- There was no evidence of fire or mechanical failure in the propeller or engine components.