What happened
On October 25, 2001, a student pilot was conducting solo training maneuvers at Graz Airport (LOWG). Prior to the flight, the pilot had performed a pre-flight inspection and organized refueling for the Scheibe SF 25 C Falke. Following two successful circuits flown with an instructor, the instructor authorized the student to complete three to four solo circuits due to favorable weather conditions.
After successfully completing the first circuit with a touch-and-go, the pilot began the second circuit but approached too high, prompting the instructor to instruct a go-around via radio. During the third circuit, the pilot requested instructions before turning base for a touch-and be go, receiving authorization for a touch-and-go on runway 17L. This was the final radio communication.
While on final approach, the pilot initiated an abrupt, steep descent with spoilers extended. Despite the instructor's radio commands to shallow the descent, the pilot leveled the aircraft briefly at approximately 50 meters above the ground before entering a progressively steeper descent, reaching an angle of approximately 50 degrees. The aircraft struck the ground with a high pitch attitude on the approach centerline for runway 17L, roughly 250 meters north of taxiway B. The pilot sustained fatal injuries due to massive blunt force trauma upon impact.
The investigation
The investigation was conducted by the Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) to determine the sequence of events. The reconstruction was based on witness statements, participant testimonies, and findings from public safety services and investigators. The investigation focused on the flight path and the pilot's maneuvers during the final approach.
Findings
- The pilot was a student who had begun training in February 2000 and had performed her first solo flight on September 28, 2001.
- The aircraft, a Scheibe SF 25 C Falke, was destroyed in the accident.
- The primary cause of the accident was the uncontrolled steep descent initiated by the pilot during the final approach, which could not be recovered despite radio instructions from the instructor.