What happened
On July 10, 2003, at approximately 13:30, a Schempp Hirth Janus B glider, registered F-CEPK, crashed into terrain near Vénasque, France. The flight, which was an instructional session, began when the glider was towed from the Carpentras aerodrome and released near Vénasque.
Data retrieved from the onboard GPS revealed that the glider was released at an altitude of 700 meters. During the flight, the aircraft maintained altitudes between 400 and 950 meters. At 13:23, the aircraft was at approximately 700 meters, after which it began a steady descent. At 13:27, the glider passed over the village of Vénasque and performed a 180-degree turn, moving away from the Carpentras airfield area. The flight path followed a valley toward a gorge that opens into the fields of Méthamis. The final GPS position was recorded at 13:29:46, at an altitude of 232 meters, shortly before the impact. An observer on the ground had noted the aircraft flying very low over Vénasque shortly before the crash.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight trajectory and environmental conditions. Investigators analyzed GPS data to reconstruct the final minutes of the flight and examined meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. The weather was reported as having 30 km visibility, temperatures of 34 °C, and light winds. Notably, another glider pilot flying in the area at the same time reported that there were no clouds present that could have provided any rising air currents (thermals).
Findings
- The aircraft was flying at a very low altitude within a gorge.
- There was a lack of available lift, as no clouds were present to facilitate soaring.
- The crew demonstrated an obstinacy to continue the flight despite the declining altitude.
- The decision to attempt a field landing in the Méthamis area was made too late to avoid the terrain.
- The accident resulted in two fatalities (the instructor and the student) and the total destruction of the aircraft.