What happened
On August 26, 1972, a Mucha Standard glider, registration HB-667, was conducting a training flight at the Amlikon airfield. The flight began with a winch launch, and the pilot released the tow rope at an altitude of approximately 400 meters. During the approach, the pilot observed another glider, a Ka-6 with registration HB-711, flying roughly 20 meters lower. To ensure the other aircraft had sufficient space to land, the pilot intended to perform a long landing on the right side of the grass runway.
As the aircraft approached the 1000-meter runway on heading 07, the pilot realized the glide path was too low to permit the planned long landing. Because the right side of the runway was partially obstructed by two gliders and a winch equipment trailer, the pilot attempted to maneuver diagonally across the right half of the strip. During this corrective maneuver, the left wing of the HB-667 struck willow bushes located approximately 50 meters left of the approach axis and 95 meters before the landing threshold. The impact caused the glider to be pulled left, resulting in a crash into the riverbed.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's experience, the aircraft's airworthiness, and the environmental conditions. The pilot held a valid glider license with passenger authorization and had 145 total flight hours, including 11 hours on this specific model. There was no evidence of health issues affecting the pilot's performance. The Mucha Standard was found to be airworthy and properly registered, with no pre-existing technical defects identified. Weather conditions at the time were clear with visibility exceeding 10 km and light winds.
Findings
- The pilot's initial assessment of the landing approach was objectively incorrect.
- The attempt to correct the flight path failed because the pilot focused excessively on the aircraft and equipment parked on the runway, thereby failing to notice the nearby willow bushes.