What happened
On August 9, 2014, a private pilot operating an Alexander Schleicher ASW24, registration D-1609, departed from the Château-Arnoux Saint-Auban airfield for a local flight. Approximately one hour into the flight, while cruising at 2,300 meters near the Blayeul mountain, the pilot decided to return to the airfield. During the return leg, the aircraft encountered descending air currents, leaving the pilot with insufficient altitude to reach the destination aerodrome.
As a result, the pilot opted to perform an off-field landing in a field located approximately 2 km from the airfield. During the final approach, the pilot realized that the retractable landing gear had not been extended. The pilot attempted to deploy the gear very close to the ground. During the landing sequence, the right wing made contact with the terrain, causing the aircraft to undergo a nose-over (pitch-over) maneuver. The impact resulted in the failure of the tail boom and caused one injury to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's decision-making and the sequence of cockpit actions during the emergency approach. Investigators reviewed the pilot's flight experience, noting approximately 715 total flight hours, with 37 hours on this specific type. The weather at the time of the accident was characterized by high cloud cover, light turbulence, and visibility exceeding 10 km.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the insufficient preparation for the field landing.
- The pilot's focus on deploying the landing gear late in the approach distracted from the critical task of managing the flare.
- The failure to extend the gear prior to the final approach phase led to the mechanical sequence that caused the wing to strike the ground.