Colisión entre DG 100 y Tornado cerca de Hundseck resulta en fatalidad

El 23 de junio de 1998, ocurrió una colisión en el aire cerca de Hundseck, Alemania, que involucró a un planeador Glaser Dirks DG 100 y un caza Panavia MRCA Tornado. El incidente resultó en la destrucción del planeador y la muerte de su piloto. El Tornado sufrió daños severos pero pudo aterrizar de manera segura en la Base Aérea de Ramstein, con su tripulación ilesa. La colisión ocurrió mientras ambas aeronaves volaban en un espacio aéreo donde se permitían vuelos militares y civiles. La investigación destacó que la tripulación del Tornado no vio el planeador hasta que fue demasiado tarde para evitar la colisión.

1. Local soaring flight: The DG 100G launched from Baden-Baden/Oos at 1326 for a private local soaring flight with other gliders and proceeded to cruise in the local area.
2. Shared mixed airspace: Both the glider and the Tornado were operating under VFR in lower-level Class E airspace where slow civilian gliders and fast military jets are permitted simultaneously.
3. High-speed Tornado approach: The Tornado crew conducted a low-level tactical training flight following terrain and visual landmarks, entering the Bühlertal area at high speed while searching ahead for the next landmark.
4. Late glider detection: The Tornado crew only noticed the glider directly ahead of them immediately before impact, leaving no time or space to avoid a collision.
5. Tail and wing destroyed: The Tornado struck the DG 100G from behind, first destroying its tailplane and then its left wing, causing an immediate loss of controllability for the glider.
6. Uncontrolled vertical descent: With its empennage and a wing destroyed, the glider entered an almost vertical, uncontrolled descent toward the ground.
7. Crash - fatal: The DG 100G impacted nearly vertically in a forested area near Hundseck and was destroyed, fatally injuring the glider pilot.