ASH 25 crash during competition landing near Tomintoul, Scotland
On September 2, 2007, an ASH 25 crashed near Tomintoul, Scotland, during a gliding competition. The pilot attempted to land in a field but realized the glider was too high and entered an orbit to lose altitude. During the maneuver, the glider stalled and crashed, resulting in one fatality and one serious injury. The glider was destroyed in the incident. The weather conditions included turbulence, which may have contributed to the difficulty in landing.
- Cross-country task: During a competition cross-country flight after aerotow, the ASH 25 was returning from Grantown-on-Spey toward the Tomintoul area with insufficient height to continue back to Aboyne.
- Turbulent windy conditions: The approach area was affected by strong, gusty north-westerly winds and marked turbulence associated with local terrain and unstable air mass.
- Low height near circuit: The pilots decided they were unlikely to gain enough height to return to Aboyne and committed to an outlanding near Tomintoul from relatively low altitude.
- Too high on final: On final approach to the selected field east of Tomintoul, the pilot realised the glider was still too high and would overshoot toward houses beyond the field.
- Height-loss maneuvers: To lose excess height the pilot used airbrakes, selected landing flap, side-slipped, and then retracted airbrakes and reduced flap before initiating a right orbit close to the ground.
- Loss of control in turn: During the low-level right turn in turbulent conditions, at some point below about 230 ft agl, the glider departed controlled flight and entered a near-vertical dive.
- Crash - fatal: The glider did not recover from the dive and impacted marshy ground east of Tomintoul, destroying the aircraft, fatally injuring the front-seat pilot and seriously injuring the rear-seat pilot.