Incident
On August 16, 1970, at 1535 hours, a student pilot took off alone in the glider Rhönlerche II HB-595 from runway 26 at Fricktal-Schupfart airfield for a training flight. This was his first solo flight at that airfield. After a normal launch and tow, he released and performed spirals to an altitude of about 180 meters above ground. He then executed a normal approach with two 90-degree turns, aligning perfectly with the landing direction. He initiated a right sideslip and extended the spoilers simultaneously, resulting in a very steep descent. At about 8 meters above a cornfield adjacent to the airfield, he raised the nose but admitted to losing composure due to the low altitude. He then retracted the spoilers and pushed the nose down with a slight right bank, causing the glider to touch down approximately 40 meters before the runway threshold. The glider rolled with high speed, veering to the right off the landing path, and collided with a runway edge marker at 1547 hours. Bystanders were able to take cover in time.
Aircraft and Pilot
The glider, a Rhönlerche II built in 1957, was owned and operated by Segelfluggruppe Basel and bore registration HB-595. Its weight and center of gravity were within limits. The student pilot, born in 1948, held a valid student license for powered and glider aircraft, issued on February 17, 1970, with a total glider experience of 11 hours in 62 flights, including 2 solo flights of 18 minutes each. His training began on April 18, 1970, at Schupfart and continued at Birrfeld, where he completed his first solo after 53 training flights. He resumed training at Schupfart on July 12, 1970. The supervising instructor, born in 1926, held a glider pilot license and a glider instructor certificate.
Investigation
The investigation was opened on the day of the accident at the site. No pre-existing technical defects were found on the glider. The runway lacked a landing strip marker and a landing-T. The weather was reported as wind from west to southwest at 5 to 6 knots, no turbulence, visibility 15 km, no precipitation, and overcast ceiling at 1600 meters above ground. The accident occurred during a training operation of the gliding group.
Conclusion
The accident is attributable to the fact that the student pilot could not regain control of the glider after completing the sideslip and collided with a runway edge marker.