What happened
On August 1, 1965, a Piper PA-24 Comanche, registration D-ELUH, crashed into the southern ridge of Piz Neir near Bivio, Switzerland. The flight originated from Karlsruhe, Germany, with the intention of reaching Samedan for a local festival. While the initial flight conditions over Germany and the Lake Constance region were favorable, the pilot encountered significantly deteriorating weather as the aircraft approached the Alps.
Upon reaching the Bivio valley, the pilot found the Julier Pass obscured by heavy cloud cover, making further progress toward Samed and impossible under visual flight rules. While attempting a turning maneuver to reverse course, the aircraft entered a cloud layer. In an attempt to climb out of the clouds and regain visual contact with the terrain, the pilot initiated a steep climb. During this maneuver, the left wing of the Piper PA-24 Comanche struck a rock face at approximately 2,650 meters altitude. The impact tore off about two meters of the wingtip, and the aircraft subsequently struck the ground on a plateau, resulting in two serious injuries to the occupants.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's flight history, the aircraft's technical condition, and the meteorological circumstances. Investigators reviewed radio communications between the pilot and Zurich Information, which revealed that the pilot had been warned that Samedan was not accessible due to weather, though he was informed he could attempt the flight at his own responsibility.
The investigation also reconstructed the aircraft's flight path through the narrow Bivio valley and analyzed the impact dynamics. The wreckage showed that the engine had separated from the cabin and the fuselage had buckled at the wing root. The investigation focused on the pilot's decision-making process and his ability to execute a safe turn within the narrow, cloud-filled valley.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the flight into increasingly difficult terrain and weather conditions.
- The pilot's decision to execute a turn in the narrow Bivio valley was made too late, resulting in an inability to maintain visual flight rules and causing the aircraft to enter the clouds.
- The pilot's limited experience in mountain flying and lack of recent flight training contributed to the inability to manage the aircraft effectively in the restricted terrain.
- The pilot had very limited recent experience with the Piper PA-24 Comanche, having flown the type only 11 times for a total of 14 hours since his initial instruction in July 1964.
- The pilot's overall flight experience was relatively low, with only approximately 83 flight hours recorded in the year preceding the accident.