What happened
On September 18, 2010, an aviation event was taking place at the Warngau landing field in Germany. At approximately 16:44 local time, two aircraft took off from runway 02 to perform a coordinated aerobatic formation routine. The formation consisted of a lead aircraft, an Extra EA 300/L, and a wingman flying an amateur-built Xtreme 3000.
The planned routine included a climb, a positive loop, a half-cuban eight, a roll, and another half-cuban eight. During the roll phase, the lead aircraft performed a half-roll into an inverted position, passing southeast of the airfield. The wingman followed with three rolls at a higher speed of approximately 140 knots.
As the wingman completed his maneuvers, he attempted to reposition himself into the basic formation. During this phase of closing the gap, the two aircraft collided. The impact caused the Extra EA 300/L to rotate into an inverted position before entering a vertical dive, striking the ground and catching fire. The pilot of the Extra EA 300/L sustained fatal injuries. The wingman in the Xtreme 3000 was able to stabilize his aircraft and perform an emergency landing on the runway, though the aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The BFU investigation examined the flight paths, the aircraft wreckage, and the pilot's actions. Analysis of the wreckage and flight dynamics showed no evidence of mechanical failure in either aircraft. The investigation also reviewed the available airspace and the event's safety briefing.
Investigators utilized 3D simulations to reconstruct the collision. The simulation suggested that the wingman likely lost visual contact with the lead aircraft approximately two seconds before the impact. While the wingman stated he maintained visual contact throughout, the BFU found this claim implausible given the dynamic nature of the maneuvers.
Findings
The wingman attempted to reposition himself in the formation after losing visual contact with the lead aircraft.
Contributing factors included:
- The wingman failed to follow standard formation flight procedures, which dictate that if visual contact is lost, the pilot must call "Out, no joy" and break away from the formation.
- The available display airspace was significantly undersized for the planned maneuvers, a fact known to the pilots prior to the flight.
- The event organizer did not request a flight of the program to verify safety, despite having the right to do so.
- The event organizer lacked established procedures for handling situations where aircraft might need to exit the restricted display airspace for safety reasons.
- The pilots did not adjust the complexity of the flight program despite recognizing the limitations of the designated airspace.