What happened
On August 9, 2009, an ASW 27-18E motor glider, registration D-KGSA, crashed in the vicinity of Fiamignano, Italy, while participating in the "Coppa Internazionale del Mediterraneo" gliding competition. The aircraft had departed from Rieti airport earlier that afternoon.
Data retrieved from the onboard FLARM anti-collision system indicated that at approximately 14:30 local time, the aircraft was performing a circling flight pattern in an attempt to intercept a thermal updraft. The aircraft subsequently impacted the terrain in a mountainous, difficult-to-access area. The pilot, an Austrian national, was the sole occupant and sustained fatal injuries. The wreckage was located three days later, aided by flight track data recorded by other competing gliders in the area.
The investigation
The ANSV investigation focused on the flight dynamics, the aircraft's technical condition, and the environmental factors present at the time of the accident. Investigators examined the wreckage and recovered flight data from a ZANDER Data Logger and the FLARM system, both of which had sustained impact damage.
Technical analysis of the aircraft revealed that all maintenance and airworthiness documentation were valid. The investigation also examined the aircraft's center of gravity (CG) and the pilot's recent experience. It was noted that the pilot had recently transitioned from flying 15-meter class gliders to the 18-meter class represented by the D-KGSA. Meteorological analysis showed that while the weather was evolving due to an approaching disturbance from the Adriatic, the immediate area of the crash was not experiencing active precipitation at the moment of impact.
Findings
- The accident was caused by a sudden loss of control following a stall of the inner wing during a circling maneuver, which led to a spin.
- A significant contributing factor was the aircraft's center of gravity being positioned very far aft, likely near the rear limit of the allowable flight envelope.
- This aft CG position made recovering from the spin extremely difficult, despite the pilot having sufficient altitude to attempt corrective actions.
- The pilot's recent transition to the 18-meter class aircraft may have resulted in a lack of familiarity with the specific aerodynamic behaviors of this model under the prevailing mass conditions.
- There was no evidence of structural failure or mechanical malfunction of the flight controls.