1967 Piper J3C Ground Collision at Lausanne-Blécherette (HB-OSM)

Incident Overview On 1 July 1967, at approximately 1940 local time, a Piper J3C with registration HB-OSM was involved in a ground collision at Lausanne-Blécherette Airport. The aircraft struck a fixed obstacle while taxiing. The two occupants were not injured, and the aircraft sustained damage to its left wing. ## Aircraft and Personnel The aircraft was a Piper J3C equipped with a Rolls-Royce C908-F engine. Its airworthiness certificate was valid until 17 June 1968. The pilot held a private pilot licence and had a total of 49 hours and 292 landings in the Piper J3C. The glider pilot held valid glider and private pilot licences with an instructor qualification. The air traffic controller held a category II licence valid for Lausanne-Blécherette. ## Sequence of Events The pilot, accompanied by a passenger, intended to make a local VFR flight. A glider instructor was completing an aerobatic programme and decided to land near the glider hangar rather than on the designated glider portion of the runway. The controller, anticipating the glider's approach, signalled the Piper pilot to clear to the left to allow the glider to land. The pilot accelerated and turned left, but after taxiing about twenty metres, the left wing's rigging wires caught a metal arrow on the signal area. ## Damage and Findings The left wing was damaged, with both rigging wires bent and the wing collapsed. A crack was found in one of the wing spars. The glider and the Piper were not equipped with VHF communication systems. The controller had not been informed of the glider pilot's intention to land near the hangar. ## Conclusion The investigation concluded that the collision occurred because the Piper pilot, required to quickly clear the taxiway to allow a glider to land on an area not intended for that purpose, moved without noticing the fixed obstacle toward which he was heading.