Collision en vol entre ASK 21 et DG-600 près de Schupfart entraîne deux décès

Le 4 juin 2001, une collision en vol s'est produite entre un Alexander Schleicher ASK 21 et un DG Flugzeugbau DG 600-18 près de l'aérodrome de Fricktal Schupfart, en Suisse. L'ASK 21, transportant deux pilotes, est entré en collision avec le DG 600-18 en vol, entraînant la destruction des deux planeurs. La collision a conduit aux décès tragiques des deux pilotes de l'ASK 21, tandis que le pilote du DG 600-18 a survécu avec des blessures après avoir déployé son parachute. L'accident a été attribué au fait que les pilotes ne se sont pas vus à temps pour éviter la collision.

1. Aerotow — local soaring: The DG-600 launched by aerotow from Schupfart at 11:48 and, after release southeast of the field, turned left and flew straight toward an area with several circling gliders near cloudbase.
2. Congested thermal area: Around the time of the DG-600’s release there were already several gliders operating near a low cloudbase of about 1100–1200 m MSL south of the airfield, concentrating traffic in a relatively small area.
3. Limited visual acquisition: Weak, broken thermals, possible cloud fragments, and the difficulty of seeing white gliders against a bright background reduced the likelihood of early visual detection between the DG-600 and the ASK 21.
4. Gliders converge unseen: Approximately 40 seconds after release, the ASK 21 approached from the DG-600’s right rear and slightly below, and neither crew detected the conflict in time to initiate an avoiding maneuver.
5. Mid-air collision: The DG-600, flying essentially straight, struck the left side of the ASK 21’s tail with its right wing, the ASK 21’s tailplane then impacting the forward fuselage of the DG-600 and severely damaging both aircraft at about 1150 m MSL.
6. DG-600 pilot bailout: After feeling the collision and loss of canopy, the DG-600 pilot released his harness, exited the aircraft, deployed his parachute, and steered to land in a field instead of the nearby forest.
7. Crash - fatal: The unmanned DG-600 descended into trees and the ASK 21, likely in a steep, possibly inverted attitude without elevator control, crashed into the forest with both pilots fatally injured while the DG-600 pilot survived with serious leg injuries.