What happened
On April 24, 2006, at approximately 13:07 UTC, an ASW 19 B glider was involved in a fatal accident west of the A10 Tauern Autobahn near Flachau, Austria. The pilot had been flying a non-commercial flight, having originally departed from St. Johann/Tirol earlier that morning.
During the flight, the aircraft experienced a continuous loss of altitude. As the pilot attempted to manage the descent, an emergency landing was prepared in a field adjacent to the elevated embankment of the A10 motorway. During the final approach, the glider struck trees located on the motorway embankment. Following the impact with the trees, the fuselage of the aircraft struck an asphalt road running between the motorway and the landing field. The impact resulted in one fatality.
The investigation
The Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) conducted an investigation into the sequence of events, utilizing data from a GNSS-logger (FLARM) and radar information. The investigation examined the aircraft's maintenance records, weight and balance configurations, and the meteorological conditions present at the time of the accident. Investigators also reconstructed the flight path using GPS coordinates, which confirmed a significant descent prior to the impact. The investigation included a forensic autopsy of the pilot as requested by the Salzburg public prosecutor's office.