ASH 25-Absturz während Wettbewerbslandung nahe Tomintoul, Schottland
Am 2. September 2007 stürzte eine ASH 25 nahe Tomintoul, Schottland, während eines Segelflugwettbewerbs ab. Der Pilot versuchte, in einem Feld zu landen, stellte jedoch fest, dass das Segelflugzeug zu hoch war und ging in einen Kreisflug über, um Höhe abzubauen. Während des Manövers kam es zu einem Strömungsabriss, und das Segelflugzeug stürzte ab, was zu einem Todesfall und einer schweren Verletzung führte. Das Segelflugzeug wurde bei dem Vorfall zerstört. Die Wetterbedingungen beinhalteten Turbulenzen, die möglicherweise zur Schwierigkeit bei der Landung beigetragen haben.
- 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.