What happened
On July 8, 2009, a Cessna 172 R was conducting a training flight near the Regensburg-Oberhub airfield. The pilot, who was performing the flight to maintain single-engine piston (SEP) class ratings, was accompanied by a flight instructor. The flight departed from runway 28 at 19:06 local time. Witnesses observed a normal takeoff and initial climb, noting that the engine sound appeared unremarkable.
Approximately two minutes after takeoff, while flying on a heading of 285°, the aircraft flew at an unusually low altitude through a wooded area near Mettenbach. During this maneuver, the aircraft flew beneath a three-strand, 20-kV overhead power line. The vertical stabilizer of the aircraft struck the first wire of the line, which was positioned at a height of only 8.6 meters. The impact was severe enough to completely sever the vertical stabilizer from the rear fuselage. Following the loss of the tail section, the aircraft pitched forward and crashed into a nearby rapeseed field, roughly 32 meters beyond the power lines. The impact resulted in two serious injuries to the occupants and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The BFU examined the wreckage and the flight conditions. Investigators found that the propeller, wings, and fuselage did not make contact with the power lines; the collision was isolated to the vertical stabilizer. The engine components, including the fuel regulation system and oil filter, were damaged due to the crash, but the spark plugs and magnetos were found to be in working order. The investigation found no evidence of mechanical failure in the engine or flight controls prior to the contact with the wires. The aircraft had been flown for 19 hours since its last 50-hour inspection.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the collision of the aircraft's vertical stabilizer with a 20-kV overhead power line while flying at a very low altitude.
- The impact caused the immediate separation of the tail section from the fuselage, leading to the loss of control and subsequent crash.
- The collision caused a local power outage, affecting the electrical supply to the Regensburg-Oberhub airfield.