El Nimbus 2C engancha la catenaria estirando hacia el aeródromo sin reserva

Un piloto experimentado siguió hacia Montricher sin reserva de altura y enganchó la catenaria de una vía férrea al intentar saltar los cables; el Nimbus 2C giró sobre la carretera, gravemente dañado, el piloto levemente herido. De vuelta de un vuelo de campo con altura amplia, fue arrastrado bajo por fuertes descendencias; pese a buenos campos debajo, juzgó tener lo justo para alcanzar la pista 21 directa, sin reserva, y siguió. Nuevas descendencias cerca de la vía lo dejaron sin poder franquearla y sin tiempo para los campos; picó para ganar velocidad y tiró para saltar los cables. Causa: franqueo de un obstáculo sin reserva suficiente.

1. Cross-country return: After a training cross-country flight toward the Jura, the pilot turned back near La Chaux-de-Fonds due to deteriorating weather and headed for Montricher with little height reserve.
2. Prolonged sink encountered: Following the eastern slopes of the Jura on the return leg, the glider flew through a large area of sinking air, dropping to about 1,200 m AMSL near Romainmôtier.
3. Low height margin: At L'Isle, about 3 km from Montricher, the pilot judged he had just enough altitude to reach runway 21 directly, with no reserve for a normal circuit and approach.
4. Continued direct low approach: Despite the minimal height margin and suitable fields below, the pilot continued a straight-in, downwind approach to runway 21 instead of committing to an outlanding.
5. Attempt to clear railway: Approaching the Bière–Apples–Morges railway and realising he could not clear it with his remaining height, the pilot dived for speed and pulled up to jump the overhead wires.
6. Impact with catenary: During the pull-up maneuver the glider’s left wing struck the railway catenary, causing the aircraft to pivot about a quarter turn to the left and lose control.
7. Crash - minor injury: The glider crashed onto the road alongside the railway, sustaining severe damage and causing major damage to the railway installations, while the pilot received only minor injuries.