Accidente de vuelo de entrenamiento en ASK 21 durante la aproximación de aterrizaje en Rudolstadt
El 9 de agosto de 2000, un Alexander Schleicher ASK 21 experimentó un aterrizaje brusco durante un vuelo de entrenamiento en Rudolstadt, Alemania. El instructor de vuelo tomó el control durante la aproximación de aterrizaje para corregir la alta altitud del estudiante. Se inició una maniobra de resbale para reducir la altitud, pero el planeador entró en pérdida de sustentación a baja altura, resultando en un impacto fuerte. Ambos ocupantes sufrieron heridas graves y el planeador resultó gravemente dañado. La investigación confirmó que la pérdida de sustentación ocurrió debido a las acciones del instructor durante la recuperación del resbale.
- Training landing approach: During a training flight after a winch launch, the student flew the landing approach in normal weather conditions at Rudolstadt.
- Instructor corrects approach: The instructor judged the glider to be too high on final and took over control to avoid a long landing, deciding to use a sideslip to lose height.
- Low altitude sideslip: The instructor initiated the sideslip at approximately 40–50 m height, leaving limited altitude margin for recovery.
- Sideslip recovery input: The instructor ended the sideslip at about 8–10 m height with control inputs that brought the glider into an over‑pitched, approaching-stall attitude.
- Stall at low height: As the sideslip was terminated, the glider entered an over‑stalled flight condition at very low altitude, with a noticeable loss of airspeed despite the instructor’s attempt to push the nose down.
- Crash - serious injury: The glider dropped from about 5 m, impacted the ground very hard on the main gear, bounced and then struck the ground again on the nose gear, seriously injuring both occupants and heavily damaging the ASK 21.