Centrair Pegase crash on Piz Malat's northwest flank after distress signal

On July 13, 1986, a Centrair Pegase glider crashed on the northwest flank of Piz Malat, Switzerland. The pilot departed from Samedan airfield and a distress signal was picked up approximately four hours later. Rescue teams located the destroyed aircraft and the mortally injured pilot about 6 kilometers from the airfield. The accident was attributed to insufficient distance from the slope, with possible contributing factors including misjudgment of ground clearance and adverse wind conditions. The pilot, a German national, was fatally injured, and the glider was destroyed.

1. Local soaring flight: The pilot winch-launched from Samedan for a local soaring flight and proceeded to fly in the Samedan–Muottas Muragl–Val Chamuera area.
2. Limited alpine experience: The pilot had relatively little alpine soaring experience in the Samedan area despite adequate overall gliding hours.
3. Challenging local winds: In the accident area there were interrupted thermals, a tailwind component, and strong, variable local NW winds and turbulence along the Piz Malat ridge.
4. Low ridge clearance: While flying along the northwest slope of Piz Malat below the crest, the glider was flown with insufficient distance from the steep terrain.
5. Possible distance misjudgment: The pilot may have misjudged the distance to the slope, potentially influenced by the sun position and the mountain flank being in backlight.
6. Turbulence/ sink near slope: In the turbulent, locally weak-thermal conditions near the slope, the glider likely experienced an uncommanded height loss or adverse air mass change while close to terrain.
7. Crash - fatal: The glider, still in normal flight attitude and at flying speed, collided at a shallow angle with the steep northwest flank of Piz Malat and was destroyed, fatally injuring the pilot.