What happened
On August 13, 1965, a Ka-8 glider, registration HB-705, departed from Saanen-Gstaad airfield for a ridge soaring flight along the Hornberg mountains. After approximately 40 minutes of flight along the western slope, the pilot attempted to transition toward the southern slope near the Gfellalp area. During this maneuver, the aircraft suddenly banked to the left and crashed into a small group of fir trees. The pilot sustained only minor injuries, but the aircraft was 80% destroyed.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight path, weather conditions, and the pilot's experience. At the time of the accident, the weather was clear with good thermal activity and light winds. The pilot, while an experienced powered aircraft pilot, had very limited experience in gliding, with less than seven hours of total flight time in sailplanes and only a few hours specifically in the Ka-8 model. Analysis of the onboard barograph showed that after an initial period of level flight, the aircraft began losing altitude, eventually descending at approximately 0.5 m/s in the final minute before the impact.
Findings
- The pilot was flying at a speed too low for the terrain conditions.
- The aircraft was caught in a gust-induced loss of airspeed while attempting to maintain altitude.
- The pilot's lack of experience in mountain soaring contributed to the inability to anticipate the danger of the speed drop.
- A lack of familiarity with the specific handling characteristics of the Ka-8 likely played a role when the aircraft approached its minimum flying speed.