Colisión en el aire entre dos planeadores LS 7-WL en Aegenetal, Suiza

El 1 de agosto de 2000, dos planeadores Rolladen-Schneider LS 7-WL colisionaron en el aire en la región de Aegenetal, Suiza. Ambos pilotos participaban en un campamento de vuelo en planeador alpino y volaban bajo reglas de vuelo visual. La colisión ocurrió porque los pilotos no se vieron, posiblemente debido a una concentración reducida después de largos vuelos a gran altitud. Ambos planeadores fueron destruidos, pero los pilotos se eyectaron de manera segura usando paracaídas, sufriendo heridas graves. Las condiciones meteorológicas eran favorables con buena visibilidad en el momento del incidente.

1. Aerotow cross-country: After aerotow departure from Münster, Pilot 1 conducted a long high-altitude cross-country soaring flight in excellent weather conditions.
2. Prolonged high-altitude flight: Pilot 1 had been flying for over six hours at relatively high altitude, leading to decreasing concentration over time.
3. Low visual conspicuity: Both white LS7 gliders, with slender profiles against sky and clouds and nearly head-on opposing tracks, were inherently difficult to see.
4. Sun position glare: The sun’s position to the left of glider 1 and right of glider 2 may have further hindered visual acquisition of the opposing aircraft.
5. Opposing flight paths: While cruising straight and level near Aegenetal, glider 1 on a northwesterly track and glider 2 on a southerly track converged toward each other at a high closing speed.
6. Late sighting, no avoidance: Pilot 1 did not see the slightly lower glider 2 at all and Pilot 2 perceived glider 1 only a fraction of a second before impact, leaving no time for effective evasive action.
7. Mid-air collision: Glider 1’s right wing struck glider 2’s tailplane over the middle of the valley, both gliders broke up and crashed, and both pilots bailed out by parachute and sustained serious injuries.