Incident Overview
On June 19, 2009, at approximately 13:36 local time, a Piper PA-18 high-wing monoplane departed from Egelsbach airfield (EDFE) for a training flight. The aircraft was operated by an experienced instructor with teaching privileges and a student pilot who held a license since 2008. The weather conditions were visual flight rules with light cloud cover and a wind of 7 knots from 240 degrees.
Flight Sequence and Crash
After takeoff from runway 27, the aircraft was observed turning left at low altitude, passing over a ready helicopter at approximately 200 feet. It then crossed a tree line adjacent to the airfield and impacted the grass surface of a sports field in Erzhausen, located about 200 meters south of the airfield boundary. The aircraft struck the ground with increased pitch attitude while rotating left around its vertical axis. It came to rest approximately 5 to 6 meters further east, rotated roughly 150 degrees from its approach direction.
Damage and Investigation Findings
The cabin area and engine mount were severely deformed, and both wings sustained heavy damage. The fuselage was bent and twisted behind the wing structure, while the tail remained undamaged. No fire occurred. The propeller showed no significant damage, and no ground strike marks were found, indicating the engine had little to no power at impact.
Probable Cause Analysis
The investigation concluded that the accident resulted from a stall during an emergency landing attempt on the sports field. The aircraft descended below its stall speed due to insufficient fuel supply. Evidence suggested that the fuel selector was likely set to the right tank, which was nearly empty, while the left tank contained approximately 50 liters of fuel. The tandem seating arrangement also limited the instructor's visibility from the rear seat. The student pilot had only about 56 hours of total flight experience at the time of the accident.