What happened
On July 18, 1999, a Socata-Groupe Aerospatiale TB 10 departed from Bamberg airfield for a sightseeing flight with three passengers. While flying near the village of Stockheim, the aircraft was observed performing low-level circling maneuvers. As the aircraft turned left to avoid a high-voltage power line, it flew at a very low airspeed and disappeared from view. The aircraft subsequently entered a nose-down pitch and impacted a spruce forest at an angle of approximately 25 degrees. The impact caused a fire, and the aircraft was destroyed. All four occupants sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
The BFU investigation, conducted alongside local police, found no mechanical defects on the aircraft that could explain the accident. However, the intensity of the post-crash fire significantly limited the examination of the wreckage, and data retrieved from the onboard GPS yielded no useful information.
Investigators noted that the pilot had been flying for 460 hours, with 90 hours specifically in the TB 10. Although the pilot held a valid private pilot license, he had not flown for 21 months due to personal reasons and was in the process of performing flight hours to meet requirements for a license renewal. The investigation also examined the aircraft's weight and balance, finding that the aircraft was approximately 38 kg overweight and that the center of gravity was outside the permitted aft limits.
Findings
- The pilot failed to maintain the minimum safe airspeed during a low-level turn near a high-voltage line, leading to an aerodynamic stall.
- The aircraft was overloaded beyond its maximum takeoff weight.
- The aircraft's center of gravity was positioned outside of the allowable rear limits.
- The aircraft was flying at an altitude below the required 1,000 ft minimum safety altitude over the village.