What happened
On August 4, 2023, at approximately 12:28 local time, a student pilot performed a winch launch at the Bayreuth airfield in a Grob G 102 Club Astir III b. Following the release at an altitude of approximately 400 meters, the pilot executed a full circle and proceeded to fly a series of maneuvers, including an eight-figure pattern and further turns, north of the airfield.
During the flight, the pilot lost all sense of orientation. An instructor monitoring the flight via radio observed that the aircraft was flying at an dangerously low altitude and advised the pilot that the landing approach could be shortened. Realizing the loss of orientation, the pilot decided to perform an emergency landing in a nearby agricultural area.
The glider descended into a sloping field and struck the embankment of a heavily wooded drainage ditch. The impact abruptly stopped the aircraft, causing heavy damage to the Grob G 102 Club Astir III b. The pilot sustained serious injuries during the impact.
The investigation
The BFU investigation focused on the flight path, the pilot's training status, and the aircraft's condition. Investigators analyzed GPS data from a navigation device to reconstruct the flight sequence and reviewed radio communications between the student and the instructor.
Regarding the pilot's experience, the investigation established that while the pilot had completed several training flights, they had not yet received formal theoretical or practical instruction regarding cross-country flight or emergency landings. The aircraft was inspected at the crash site, where investigators found the fuselage had broken into two pieces at the level of the seatback and the control linkages were significantly deformed.