What happened
On April 9, 1968, a Champion 7 GCB-180, registration HB-UAU, was conducting solo flight training on the Vadret d'Err glacier at approximately 3,170 meters. The pilot, who was participating in a mountain and glacier flight course organized by the Motorfluggruppe Zürich, had successfully completed an initial circuit with a flight instructor before attempting a solo approach. While the first circuit was completed with a correct landing, the subsequent solo attempt resulted in a heavy impact with the snow surface. The force of the landing caused the aircraft to dig into the glacier, leading to the failure of the left landing gear and causing the aircraft to swerve 90 degrees before tipping onto its right wing.
The investigation
The investigation established that the aircraft, owned by Champion-Flugzeuge AG, was in an airworthy condition and properly equipped with Fli-Lite skis for glacier operations. The aircraft's weight and balance were within permitted limits. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were reported as clear and windless.
Regarding the pilot's experience, the investigation noted that while the pilot had extensive experience with approximately 450 glacier landings (89 of which were solo), he did not yet hold a specific certification for mountain landings. On the day of the accident, the pilot had already performed a significant number of landings as part of the training course.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was that the pilot failed to sufficiently flare the aircraft during the landing phase, resulting in a hard touchdown.
- The impact was severe enough to break the left landing gear and cause substantial damage to the right wing.
- The pilot remained uninjured during the event.