Incident du DG-300 Elan lors de l'approche d'atterrissage près d'Einsiedeln, Suisse
Le 22 juillet 2000, un DG Flugzeugbau DG-300 Elan a connu un incident lors de l'approche d'atterrissage près d'Einsiedeln, Suisse. Le pilote, avec une expérience limitée en planeur, volait dans des conditions thermiques difficiles et avait du mal à maintenir l'altitude. Lors de l'approche d'atterrissage, l'appareil a décroché et est entré en vrille, entraînant un atterrissage forcé. Le pilote a subi de graves blessures et le planeur a été fortement endommagé. Le rapport souligne la vitesse insuffisante du pilote lors du virage d'atterrissage comme facteur contributif.
- Aerotow cross-country: After an aerotow release at about 2300–2400 m over the Alptal, the pilot conducted a cross-country soaring flight in generally weak thermals.
- Weak lift and sink: In the following flight the pilot repeatedly failed to find usable updrafts, steadily lost altitude, and was unable to maintain height in the area.
- Low experience, area: The pilot had limited overall glider experience, no solo outlanding experience, and was unfamiliar with the terrain in the accident area.
- Low altitude near ridge: West of Biberbrugg, at about 200–250 m above ground near the transition to the Höhronen ridge, the glider was observed flying elongated circles at low speed, appearing close to stall.
- Low-speed landing turn: Approaching the selected outlanding field at Altbergried, the pilot flew a right turn from downwind directly toward final at an estimated 100 m above ground with insufficient airspeed in partly gusty conditions.
- Stall and spin entry: During this right landing turn the glider abruptly stalled, dropped over the right wing, and entered a spin or spin-like condition, completing about two rotations.
- Crash - serious injury: After the pilot partially flattened the flight path, the glider impacted the soft moor ground near Altbergried in a nearly horizontal attitude, causing serious injuries to the pilot and heavy damage to the aircraft.