Incident Overview
On June 11, 2011, a serious accident occurred involving a two-seat Schleicher ASK 13 glider at Sonderlandeplatz Betzdorf-Kirchen (EDKI) in Germany. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Office for Accident Investigation (BFU) and summarized under case number BFU 3X081-11. The event resulted in no personal injuries but caused severe damage to the aircraft and minor damage to the surrounding terrain.
Flight Details and Sequence of Events
The pilot, a 16-year-old student glider trainee, launched via aerotow from runway 26 for a supervised solo flight. After releasing from the tow line, she attempted to locate thermal lift in the vicinity but was unsuccessful. She then initiated a return to the airfield. During this phase, the aircraft entered a strong sink. Although her instructor radioed instructions to divert south to an emergency landing field, the student continued her approach to the home base.
The glider landed at minimum speed into trees located near the western end of the runway. Initial contact was made with the right wingtip. The aircraft crashed cockpit-down into the vegetation and remained suspended in the trees without touching the ground. The pilot was extracted from the wreckage uninjured.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The ASK 13 is a mixed-construction, mid-wing trainer glider first certified for traffic in 1969. At the time of the accident, it had accumulated 9,373 flight hours and 46,694 takeoffs. The aircraft was club-owned and registered in Germany.
The pilot held a valid Class 2 medical certificate. Since beginning training in 2010, she had logged 29 hours and 15 minutes of total flight time across 90 launches. Her solo experience consisted of 3 hours and 57 minutes over 10 flights.
Environmental Conditions
Meteorological data from the nearest weather station at Siegerland Airport recorded a wind speed of six knots from 190 degrees with light cloud cover at 4,000 feet. The pressure was 1,018 hPa. Throughout the day, winds varied between three and eight knots from different directions.
Damage Assessment
The wreckage was found in a steep, tree-covered slope rising from a quarry near the runway end. The right wing suffered severe structural damage, and half of the elevator was torn off. The fuselage exhibited damage to the tail boom.