What happened
On May 11, 2003, at 14:43 local time, a Phoebus C glider, registration I-HEXE, was engaged in a local recreational flight at Torino Aeritalia airport. The aircraft had taken off at 12:37 UTC, towed by a Robin DR 40 and registered I-ZZIO. Shortly after the release from the tow aircraft at 12:41 UTC, the pilot reported a strong descent and requested permission to land on runway 10R.
Unable to complete the approach to the airfield, the pilot performed an off-field landing in a meadow in the municipality of Collegno, near Corso Pastrengo. The landing occurred approximately 1 km before the runway threshold. While the aircraft struck a low obstacle during a left yaw maneuver, there were no injuries to the pilot or any bystanders present in the field at the time.
The investigation
The investigation examined radio communications between the glider and the Torino Aeritalia AFIS. The timeline revealed that only two minutes elapsed between the notification of release and the notification of being on the ground. Because the pilot did not provide specific details regarding the altitude or location of the release, a precise reconstruction of the flight path following the release was difficult. However, the investigators noted that the extremely short interval between release and landing suggests the separation from the tow plane occurred at an excessively low altitude, leaving insufficient opportunity to utilize rising air currents.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was inadequate flight planning, which led to an underestimation of the prevailing meteorological conditions.
- The glider sustained structural damage to the fuselage at the wing root intersection due to forced flexion during the impact with a low obstacle.
- The lower part of the rudder skid was also damaged during the landing.