What happened
On April 8, 2013, a student pilot was conducting a solo navigation training flight at Neustadt-Glewe airfield. The flight plan, supervised by an instructor, involved a flight from Neustadt-Glewe to Müritz Airpark and back. After a successful landing and subsequent departure from Müritz Airpark, the pilot contacted the instructor via radio approximately five minutes before his arrival at Neustadt-Glewe.
Upon landing on runway 09, the Comco Ikarus C42 experienced a brief bounce. Following this, the aircraft entered a left-hand turn with a shallow bank and a slight climb. The aircraft then performed a nearly 180-degree directional change, causing it to stall over the left wing. At an altitude of approximately 20 meters, the aircraft plummeted through the roof of an aircraft hangar. The impact resulted in one fatality and the destruction of the aircraft, as well as damage to two other ultralight aircraft stored inside the building.
The investigation
The BFU investigation focused on the flight sequence, the pilot's training status, and the mechanical condition of the aircraft. Investigators examined the wreckage, noting that the engine and firewall had been torn from the fuselage and the propeller fragments were scattered. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's training records, which indicated he had completed his theoretical exam in early 2012 and possessed 79 total flight hours. Additionally, the maintenance logs for the aircraft were found to be incomplete.
Findings
- The aircraft's flight controls were functional up to the points of structural failure, and no technical defects were identified in the aircraft itself.
- The pilot's training log lacked the necessary signatures and documentation required for authorizing flights outside the instructor's direct visual supervision.
- The aircraft's maintenance documentation was incomplete.
- Although the onboard emergency parachute system deployed, the rocket motor struck a hangar support beam and stopped, preventing the parachute from fully deploying.