What happened
On September 23, 2009, at approximately 09:56 local time, an Aquila AT01 departed from runway 25 at Schönhagen Airfield (EDAZ) for a flight to Gera (EDAJ). The aircraft had been chartered from a local flight school.
According to eyewitness accounts, the aircraft climbed to an altitude of approximately 300 feet before initiating a left-hand turn toward the south. During this maneuver, the aircraft's bank angle increased progressively without any further gain in altitude. The aircraft subsequently entered a stall/spin-like descent, impacting a pine forest approximately 600 meters south of the airfield with its nose down and the right wing pointing upward. The impact caused the aircraft to be destroyed and ignited a fire. The pilot sustained fatal injuries during the crash.
The investigation
The BFU investigation examined the aircraft, the pilot's medical history, and the flight path. The pilot was a 69-year-old experienced flyer with a PPL(A) and a night flight rating, having completed over 530 total flight hours. Toxicological analysis of the pilot's body showed no presence of alcohol, drugs, or medication. While the autopsy revealed moderate coronary artery calcification, investigators considered a sudden cardiac event as a possibility, though not certain.
Investigators also noted that the flight school had later simulated this exact accident profile by allowing a pilot to momentarily release control of the aircraft after takeoff. In that simulation, the aircraft followed a similar path, banking increasingly to the left until the pilot intervened.
Findings
- The pilot's increasing bank angle during the left turn suggests a loss of control during the takeoff phase.
- The leftward deviation immediately after takeoff is consistent with engine torque effects, which require active rudder input to counteract.
- There was no evidence of a mechanical failure, such as a jammed control surface, that would have caused the observed flight path.
- The primary cause of the accident was likely that the pilot lost the ability to control the aircraft during the takeoff sequence and was unable to influence the subsequent flight path.