Crash de l'ASW 19 à Ritzigeralp suite à un décrochage en virage
Le 3 août 1992, un Alexander Schleicher ASW 19 s'est écrasé à Ritzigeralp, en Suisse. Le planeur a décroché et a percuté le terrain lors d'un virage dans la région alpine. Le pilote, qui avait une expérience de vol récente limitée, a été mortellement blessé. L'enquête a confirmé que le planeur était en bon état et que les conditions météorologiques étaient favorables au vol à voile. Des témoins ont observé la descente abrupte du planeur et son impact avec la pente.
- Ridge soaring flight: After aerotow departure from Münster and release near Ritzigeralp, the pilot was ridge soaring along the slope of the Goms valley.
- Limited recent experience: The pilot had relatively low overall and recent flight time, including limited hours on the ASW 19, despite prior mountain flying camps.
- Tight climbing turn to slope: While flying along the slope on a heading of about 45°, the pilot initiated and completed a 180° right turn and then entered a pronounced climbing turn of about 90° toward the slope at low height.
- Stall and wing drop: During the continued climb toward the slope, the glider suddenly rolled right toward the terrain and the nose dropped abruptly, consistent with an aerodynamic stall.
- Insufficient recovery time: The glider descended rapidly for about two seconds toward the slope, and the pilot was unable to regain normal flight before ground impact.
- Crash - fatal: The glider struck the slope near the Ritzigeralp almost nose-first and right wing first, broke apart after a half rotation, and the pilot was fatally injured.