Incident Overview
On 14 April 2007, a Schempp-Hirth Cirrus Standard Cirrus glider, registration D-1125, was involved in an accident on Monte Albareto, near the municipality of Terenzo in the province of Parma, Italy. The glider was destroyed and the pilot, a 54-year-old Italian male with a glider pilot license issued on 3 November 2005 and approximately 102 total flight hours, was killed.
Flight Details
The glider departed from Rubbiano airfield at 10:55 UTC under tow by a tow plane. It was released at about 2000 feet above ground level in the windward area of Monte Prinzera at approximately 11:00 UTC. After release, no radio communications were recorded between D-1125 and the airfield or other aircraft. The glider was later spotted on the ground in the forest of Monte Albareto around 14:00 UTC by a returning glider pilot, who alerted rescue services. Rescue helicopters arrived about 20 minutes later.
Wreckage Examination
The wreckage was located near the summit of Monte Albareto at an altitude of about 800 meters. The glider impacted terrain in a wooded area. Examination revealed that the nose was embedded almost vertically in the ground. The fuselage was broken at the cockpit area, at various points along the tail boom, at the attachment of the boom to the center fuselage section, and at the rudder and elevator. The tail surfaces were separated from the tail boom and thrown forward and to the right. The right wing was severed at about three-fifths of its span, corresponding to a cut tree trunk of about 10 cm diameter. The left wing showed severe impact damage at about half span from collision with a tree that had bark removed from 4 meters height down to near the ground. The canopy plexiglass was shattered and concentrated about 1 meter from the cockpit. The instrument panel was slightly displaced to the right. The variometer indicated +3.2 m/s, and the airspeed indicator showed 58 km/h. The airbrakes were extended on both wings; the control rod was disengaged from the cockpit structure, and the handle was retracted.
Data Logger Analysis
The glider was equipped with a data logger that recorded position, GPS altitude, and pressure altitude every 8 seconds. The logger retrieved three flights, one of which was the accident flight. Data showed tow start at 10:57:23 UTC, release at 11:00:19 UTC at a GPS altitude of 860 meters, and the last valid recording at 11:24:27 UTC showing GPS altitude 870 meters and pressure altitude 82 meters (based on QNH 1013.25 hPa). The final minute of flight included a straight leg (traversone) flown from a northern area.
Meteorological Information
Weather information from multiple sources indicated wind from 080° to 110° at 7 to 12 knots, no cumuliform clouds over nearby ridges, no lenticular clouds, excellent visibility, and a stable atmosphere with no possibility of cumulonimbus formation. QNH was between 1019 and 1020 hPa.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot had flown about 50 minutes on 9 April 2007 with the same glider, which was his only flight in the four months prior. The glider, manufactured in 1972 with serial number 263G, had accumulated about 2870 hours and 1420 landings. It had undergone an annual inspection on 1 October 2006. The pilot had transported the disassembled glider to the airfield on the day of the accident, assembled it, and performed pre-flight checks with other pilots. Radio functionality was tested with the tow plane before departure.