What happened
On September 25, 2004, a training flight involving a mentor and a trainee instructor pilot took place near the Malden glider airfield. The flight was part of an instructor training program using a Schleicher ASK-13 glider, registration PH-386. The flight was conducted under favorable weather conditions with clear visibility and light winds.
During the landing phase, the trainee instructor attempted to demonstrate a slip landing. After failing to maintain the initial slip, the trainee pilot decided to initiate a second slip maneuver at an altitude of approximately 25 meters. This second attempt resulted in a rapid descent that the pilot could not arrest in time. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground with significant force.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight dynamics and the instructional setup used during the accident. The flight utilized a role-playing method common in instructor training, where the mentor acts as the student and the trainee acts as the instructor. The investigation looked into the sequence of maneuvers and the decision-making process regarding the second slip attempt.
Findings
- The trainee instructor initiated a second slip maneuver at an altitude that was too low and too aggressive.
- The pilot was unable to stop the resulting rapid descent before the aircraft impacted the ground.
- The hard landing caused two serious injuries, including a broken lumbar vertebra for the trainee instructor and severe back pain for the mentor.
- The Schleicher ASK-13 sustained significant structural damage, including damage to the cockpit's steel tube construction, the landing gear, the wing trailing edge, and the stabilizer attachment.