Le DG 300 dépasse une vache vent arrière et heurte des obstacles
Un pilote de DG 300 Elan a été légèrement blessé et le planeur fortement endommagé lors d'une vache vent arrière près d'Andermatt. Après un vol de 500 km abandonné, le pilote a choisi un champ homologué approchable seulement vers le sud-ouest — par vent de nord-est, donc vent arrière. Trop haut malgré pleins aérofreins et glissade, et face aux obstacles en bout de champ, il a interrompu la glissade et tiré vers le pré au-delà ; l'aile droite a heurté un tas de treillis d'armature et une pelle mécanique, faisant pivoter le planeur de 90°. Un champ 500 m au nord était utilisable face au vent. Cause : approche manquée, vent mal pris en compte.
- Cross-country cruise: The pilot departed Zweisimmen by aerotow for a 500 km cross-country flight and was returning after abandoning the task due to poor thermals.
- Forced outlanding need: Near Andermatt, deteriorated thermal conditions forced the pilot to plan an outlanding instead of continuing the flight.
- Tailwind landing field: The pilot selected a designated outlanding field along the Gotthard road that, under the prevailing NE wind, could only be approached with a tailwind, not fully weighed at the time.
- High tailwind approach: After flying a circuit, the pilot conducted the final approach to the SW with a tailwind, using full airbrakes and a sideslip in an attempt to lose height.
- Aborted glide over obstacles: Unable to reduce altitude enough to clear obstacles at the end of the field, the pilot ended the sideslip, retracted the airbrakes, and pulled up to try to land in a meadow beyond them.
- Wing strikes obstacles: During this maneuver the right wing struck a stack of reinforcing mesh and an excavator, causing the glider to yaw about 90 degrees and come to rest in the adjacent meadow.
- Crash - minor injury: The glider stopped in the meadow with substantial damage, and the pilot sustained minor injuries.