Accident Overview
On 6 August 1970, a Piper J3C aircraft, registered as HB-OUS, was involved in an accident at Grenchen airfield during landing training. The aircraft sustained substantial damage as a result of a hard landing.
Circumstances
The accident occurred while the aircraft was performing a precision landing without engine power, within a 150-meter target zone. The pilot, a flight student, executed a flare that was too high, causing the aircraft to sink from an estimated height of 2 meters. This resulted in a hard impact with the runway, leading to significant structural damage.
Damage
The aircraft was described as being substantially damaged due to the hard landing. No further details on specific components or extent of damage were provided.
Investigation Outcome
The Swiss accident investigation commission concluded that the accident happened because the pilot flared too high during the power-off precision landing, causing the aircraft to drop from about 2 meters. No other factors were identified.