ASW 19 B fatal crash during outlanding near Espelkamp
On July 2, 2001, an Alexander Schleicher ASW 19 B crashed during an outlanding attempt near Espelkamp, Germany. The glider pilot, participating in a competition, attempted to land in a field after losing altitude. The aircraft collided with the ground at high speed after making a sharp left turn to avoid power lines. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the glider was destroyed. The investigation noted issues with the headrest mechanism, but these were not deemed life-threatening.
- Cross-country thermaling: During a competition cross-country flight after aerotow departure from Rotenburg (Wümme), the pilot was thermaling near Espelkamp and losing height while searching for lift.
- Late outlanding decision: Only after descending to about 100–150 m above ground south of Espelkamp did the pilot commit to an outlanding, selecting a 300 m long grass strip parallel to a road that he had overflown several times during thermalling.
- Power line in approach: A high-voltage power line crossing the intended landing direction lay in the end-approach path of the chosen field and was not recognized or accounted for early enough.
- Stress and gear retracted: The landing approach was flown with the landing gear still retracted, indicating the pilot was under time pressure and stress during the low-altitude field selection and approach.
- Last-moment field change: On short final toward the grass strip, the pilot abruptly abandoned this plan, turned more than 90° left to avoid the power line, and redirected toward an adjacent field, now with a tailwind.
- Hidden ground ridge impact: While approaching the alternate field with tailwind, the glider’s nose struck a barely visible 50 cm transverse ground ridge, causing a high-speed impact and rotation about the vertical axis.
- Crash - fatal: The glider was destroyed in the crash near Espelkamp and the pilot sustained fatal head and spinal injuries from the impact.