L'ASW 19 décroche dans un virage montant à faible hauteur près de la pente
Le pilote d'un ASW 19 a été mortellement blessé lorsque le planeur a décroché dans un virage montant à faible hauteur et percuté une pente près de Ritzigeralp ; planeur gravement endommagé. En vol de pente, le pilote a amorcé un virage montant vers le relief ; toujours en montée, le planeur est parti à droite, a piqué du nez et a percuté la pente, nez et aile droite d'abord. La cause probable était un décrochage dans ce virage exécuté trop près de la pente, sans hauteur pour se rétablir ; le pilote connaissait la région mais avait peu d'expérience. L'aérofrein droit a été trouvé sorti, commande sur « rentré », suggérant ouverture spontanée.
- 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.
- Right airbrake extended: The right-wing airbrake was found extended although its lever was set to retracted, suggesting it may have opened on its own and added asymmetric drag on the right wing.
- 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.