What happened
On July 24, 2013, a Centrair 101 A glider, registration F-CGEQ, was conducting a training flight near the Montaigu Saint-Georges airfield. The pilot was flying in company with another glider, a Centra .101 A registered F-CFQK, as both pilots were preparing for the upcoming French Junior Championships.
As the aircraft approached the airfield, the pilots decided to execute a direct, high-speed approach. Approximately 1 km from the airfield, the F-CGEQ struck a 90 kV electrical cable at an altitude of roughly 9 meters. The impact caused the destruction of the aircraft and the death of the pilot. The second aircraft, F-CFQK, successfully landed on runway 25 shortly after the collision.
The investigation
The BEA investigation examined the flight trajectory, the aircraft's configuration, and the environmental conditions. Investigators analyzed the FLARM collision avoidance systems from both aircraft, which revealed that the two gliders had utilized the same thermal earlier in the flight.
The investigation also reviewed the pilot's experience, noting he was a highly skilled 19-year-old competitor. The inquiry looked into the visibility of the obstacle, finding that the power lines were not marked with any warning lights or signage and were not present on the local aeronautical charts (VAC) because they were below the required height threshold for such documentation. Furthermore, the 1/500,000 scale IGN maps only include lines of 225 kV or higher.
Findings
Several factors contributed to the fatal accident:
- The pilot attempted a high-speed approach involving a low-altitude leveling maneuver well before reaching the runway threshold to bleed off excess speed.
- The pilot's focus was likely divided by the proximity of the other glider and the pressure of preparing for competition, leading to an increased risk profile.
- The collision with the power line was caused by the pilot's failure to detect the thin, low-contrast cables, which was exacerbated by the low sun position and the high closing speed.
- The practice of performing low-altitude leveling maneuvers far from the runway threshold was an unauthorized deviation from standard competition approach techniques.