Absturz eines Canard 2FL bei Löwenberg-Hüsliberg führt zu Todesfall
Am 5. Dezember 1979 stürzte ein Canard Aviation Canard 2FL bei Löwenberg-Hüsliberg, Schweiz, während eines Testflugs ab. Der Pilot, der seinen ersten Flug mit diesem Flugzeug absolvierte, verlor kurz nach dem Start die Kontrolle. Das Segelflugzeug führte eine Reihe abrupter Manöver aus, darunter eine halbe Rolle und ein Rückwärtsrutschen, bevor es abstürzte. Der Pilot kam beim Aufprall ums Leben, und das Flugzeug wurde zerstört. Der offizielle Bericht nannte den Kontrollverlust als Ursache, wobei unzureichende Flugkünste und unkonventionelle Flugeigenschaften als beitragende Faktoren genannt wurden.
- Bungee launch initial climb: The pilot began his first flight in the Canard 2FL HB-3002 with a bungee launch from the Zaugerli/Hüsliberg slope, climbing away normally after liftoff.
- Abrupt roll maneuver: After several shallow turns with large control inputs, the pilot applied full right roll control and then deflected the canard to the right, causing the aircraft to pitch down and enter a brusque half-roll into inverted flight.
- Unconventional handling: The aircraft had unorthodox flight characteristics and a non-conventional control system, including strong adverse yaw and sensitive front-vector/side control forces that were unfamiliar to the pilot.
- Inadequate pilot technique: Despite prior warnings from the factory test pilot, the pilot used excessively large control inputs and may have had reduced fitness to fly, contributing to loss of control.
- Inverted climb and rearward slide: In inverted attitude the glider pitched up into a back-side climb, then transitioned into a rearward, tail-first slide from about 50–60 m above ground, with the cockpit canopy separating early in the maneuver.
- Structural failure low altitude: As the rearward, near-vertical descent steepened, the canard wing folded upward about 25 m above ground and the left outer main wing section buckled rearwards, leading to an uncontrollable nose-down tumble.
- Crash - fatal: The Canard 2FL impacted the Löwenberg/Hüsliberg alp meadow in a slightly inverted attitude with the canard leading, fatally injuring the pilot and destroying the glider.