Colisión en el aire entre Cessna FA152 y Grob Astir cerca del aeródromo de Farnborough

El 23 de julio de 1994, una Cessna FA152 Aerobat y un planeador Grob Astir chocaron en el aire cerca del aeródromo de Farnborough en el Reino Unido. El piloto del planeador se soltó del remolque a aproximadamente 1,800 pies e intentó encontrar corrientes ascendentes cuando ocurrió la colisión. El planeador sufrió daños irreparables, y el piloto sufrió heridas leves tras lanzarse en paracaídas a salvo. La Cessna sufrió daños considerables en su ala izquierda, pero logró regresar con seguridad al aeropuerto de Blackbushe. El incidente ocurrió durante un período en el que el control de tráfico aéreo de Farnborough no estaba operativo, y los miembros del club de vuelo a vela gestionaban las comunicaciones por radio.

1. Aerotow release: After aero-tow from Farnborough Runway 07, the glider pilot released at about 1,800 feet agl southwest of the airfield and began searching for lift.
2. Thermal search turns: The glider conducted a left-hand orbit to find lift, then adopted an easterly heading back towards the airfield before encountering lift and entering a right turn at relatively low height near the ATZ.
3. Converging Cessna traffic: While the glider was turning in lift near 1,800 feet agl, a Cessna 152 on a training flight from Blackbushe inadvertently tracked into the Farnborough ATZ and converged with the glider’s flight path.
4. Late sighting and impact: The glider pilot saw the Cessna only when it was very close in a banked right turn and, almost immediately thereafter, the Cessna’s left wingtip struck the glider’s fin and T-tail, breaking the rear fuselage and causing loss of pitch control.
5. Pilot bailout: After realizing he had lost pitch control, the glider pilot opened the canopy, exited over the left side of the fuselage, and deployed his back parachute, sustaining only a bruised ankle.
6. Crash - minor injury: The now-uncontrolled glider stalled, descended in a flat spin, struck a tree which separated the empennage, and crashed on rough ground near the Runway 07 threshold, being damaged beyond economic repair while the pilot survived with minor injury.