What happened
On July 30, 2011, at approximately 10:37 UTC, a SOCATA TB 10 aircraft crashed into steep terrain at the Wildenkaralm near Thiersee, Tyrol. The flight originated from Venice, Italy, with a planned destination of Oberschleißheim, Germany.
During the flight, the pilot contacted Kufstein airport to check weather conditions and learned that the cloud ceiling had dropped to 1,000 feet with heavy rain. Despite the deteriorating conditions, the pilot continued the flight, intending to fly above the clouds. While navigating toward Munich, the pilot performed a 360-degree turn to descend from 7,800 feet to 5,600 feet to avoid restricted airspace. During this descent, the aircraft struck the rising terrain at approximately 5,100 feet. The impact caused the nose gear to break, the main gear to buckle, and significant damage to the engine mounts and airframe. The pilot sustained one injury, while the passenger was uninjured.
The investigation
The SUB investigation reconstructed the flight path using radar data, radio transcripts, and witness statements. The investigation established that while the pilot had performed diligent flight planning, there was a lack of current weather information for the specific Alpine section of the route.
Investigators found that the pilot's perceived position was significantly different from his actual location. At 10:24 UTC, the pilot reported being over Kufstein, but radar showed the aircraft was actually north of Wörgl, roughly 7–10 km southwest of Kufstein. Due to the heavy cloud cover, the pilot was unable to use ground landmarks to verify his position, leading to a collision with terrain.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a collision with rising terrain following an entry into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
- The pilot misjudged the aircraft's actual position by several kilometers.
- The pilot's decision to continue the flight despite deteriorating weather (plan continuation bias) contributed to the accident.
- The crew likely underestimated the risks associated with flying in high Alpine terrain and weather.
- An opportunity for an alternate landing in Innsbruck was available but not utilized.
- The aircraft was properly maintained and within weight and balance limits at the time of the accident.