Flight History
On July 30, 2011, at approximately 10:37 UTC, a SOCATA TB 10 aircraft sustained damage following a collision with terrain on the Wildenkaralm near Thiersee, Tirol, at an elevation of about 1560 m (5100 ft). The private aircraft, registered in the Netherlands, was on a return flight from Venice (LIPV) to Oberschleissheim (EDNX) and onward to Budel, Netherlands.
The pilot departed Venice at approximately 08:09 UTC after refueling with 102 liters of AVGAS 100LL, bringing the total usable fuel to 204 liters. The planned route included waypoints Brenner, Sierra, Innsbruck, and Kufstein, with a planned fuel stop at EDNX. The intended flight path followed the Inn valley between 4500 ft and 8000 ft toward Kufstein, then direct to Oberschleissheim.
Communication and Weather
At 09:57, the pilot contacted Innsbruck Tower for clearance to cross the control zone toward Kufstein. After leaving Innsbruck airspace, the pilot communicated with Kufstein/Langkampfen airfield and received weather information: a cloud ceiling of 1000 ft with heavy rain. The pilot indicated he would overfly the clouds. At 10:23, the pilot contacted Munich INFO at 7700 ft, requesting direct routing to Munich while remaining outside Class C airspace (FL 85 lower limit). The last radio contact was at 10:24.
Accident Sequence
Near Wörgl, the pilot deviated from the planned route, turning directly toward Munich and performing a 360-degree left turn while descending from approximately 7800 ft to 5600 ft. Radar contact was lost at 5600 ft, about 3 km from the accident site. The aircraft impacted terrain at approximately 5100 ft in steep, rising terrain. The impact occurred with no lateral roll and almost parallel to the slope. The nose wheel contacted the ground first and broke away, followed by the main landing gear, which was pushed aft. The right wingtip lightly touched the ground, but did not cause significant rotation. The engine mounts fractured multiple times, and the engine was displaced downward. The passenger cabin sustained severe deformation but remained structurally intact.
Post-Accident Observations
No details regarding injuries were reported in the investigation documents. The aircraft was extensively damaged. The investigation was conducted by the Austrian Safety Investigation Board, with notification to the Netherlands (state of registry), France (state of manufacturer), and the United States (state of engine manufacturer).