What happened
On August 26, 2007, a Focke Wulf Kranich III glider was performing a local flight from the Wächtersberg-Hub airfield. The flight, which was intended to be a demonstration for a club event, began with a winch launch on runway 07. The pilot, accompanied by a club member in the rear seat, initially flew a pattern southwest of the airfield, maintaining an altitude of approximately 200 to 250 meters.
As the aircraft turned east and then began a turn to the south near the approach path, it descended to an altitude of about 120 meters. While the pilot had radioed their intention to land, witnesses observed the aircraft failing to establish a landing attitude. Instead, the glider continued to circle at a low altitude before entering a spin. The aircraft struck the ground almost vertically into a wooded area approximately 450 meters from the takeoff site. The pilot was killed in the impact, and the passenger sustained severe injuries, later succulating to them in the hospital.
The investigation
The BFU examined the wreckage and the flight history of the aircraft. The Focke Wulf Kranich III had recently been re-imported to Germany and had undergone a comprehensive inspection earlier that year. Investigators found no technical defects in the aircraft's control surfaces or structural integrity; all observed breaks were consistent with the high-impact force of the crash. The aircraft's weight and balance were within permissible limits.
Regarding the crew, the pilot held a Class 3 examiner certificate and was highly experienced with various glider types, though she had only approximately three hours of flight time in this specific model. Notably, the control stick for the rear seat had not been removed for the flight. Because the passenger was a licensed motor glider pilot, investigators could not rule out the possibility that flight controls were manipulated from the rear seat during the maneuver.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was flying at an insufficient airspeed during a low-altitude turn.
- This low speed led to an aerodynamic stall and a subsequent spin.
- The low altitude prevented the pilot from recovering from the stalled condition before impact.
- Witnesses noted the aircraft's speed appeared too slow during the final turns.