What happened
On September 5, 1999, at approximately 12:10, a mid-air collision occurred near Mount Teillon in the Peyroules region. Two gliders, a single-seat Schleicher ASW 20 L registered OO-ZRA and a single-seat Ventus CM motorised glider registered F-CGLP, had both departed from Fayence for local flights.
The pilot of the OO-ZRA was flying westward along the mountain at an altitude of approximately 1,900 meters, maintaining a speed between 110 and 130 km/h. Despite the pilot's report of broadcasting information via radio during the preceding hour, no direct radio contact had been established between the two aircraft prior to the event. The two gliders collided head-on, as neither pilot was able to identify the other in time to execute avoidance maneuvers.
Following the impact, the pilot of the OO-ZRA maintained control of the aircraft and successfully returned to the airfield. However, the F-CGLP crashed into a steep slope at an altitude of 1,500 meters. The wreckage of the F-COLP was distributed over a 150-meter area. The collision resulted in one fatality and one uninjured person.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the visibility and identification characteristics of both aircraft. The OO-ZRA was found to have no paint stripes or adhesive strips intended to enhance its visibility to other pilots. The F-CGLP was white and featured two one-meter-long red adhesive strips located near the wingtips.
Physical evidence from the impact included orange paint transferred to the nose of the OO-ZRA, which also sustained scrapes and several punctures. A fragment of the left winglet from the F-CGLP was found embedded in the leading edge of its own right wing, roughly two meters from the wing root.