Accidente fatal de ASW 19 B durante aterrizaje en campo cerca de Espelkamp

El 2 de julio de 2001, un Alexander Schleicher ASW 19 B se estrelló durante un intento de aterrizaje en campo cerca de Espelkamp, Alemania. El piloto del planeador, que participaba en una competición, intentó aterrizar en un campo tras perder altitud. La aeronave colisionó con el suelo a alta velocidad después de realizar un giro brusco a la izquierda para evitar líneas eléctricas. El piloto sufrió heridas mortales y el planeador quedó destruido. La investigación señaló problemas con el mecanismo del reposacabezas, pero no se consideraron amenazantes para la vida.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Crash - fatal: The glider was destroyed in the crash near Espelkamp and the pilot sustained fatal head and spinal injuries from the impact.