SHK 1 crash during competition near Corban, Switzerland resulting in injuries

On July 5, 1969, a Schempp-Hirth SHK-1 crashed near Corban, Switzerland during a regional gliding competition. The pilot attempted an outlanding after failing to gain sufficient altitude to clear the terrain. During the final approach, the pilot lost control, resulting in a crash that destroyed the glider. The pilot sustained injuries requiring hospitalization, but there were no fatalities. The investigation highlighted the failure to release the braking parachute as a key factor in the loss of control.

1. Cross-country task flight: During a regional competition cross-country flight after aerotow, the pilot was cruising and thermaling over the Jura on the second leg of a 100 km triangle.
2. Insufficient climb for terrain: Near the Schelten Pass, the pilot was unable to gain sufficient altitude in weakening lift to safely clear the surrounding terrain and continue the task.
3. Challenging outlanding field: The pilot selected a sloping, north–south oriented mown field in mountainous terrain that was suitable for an approach from the north but not in the initially chosen downhill landing direction.
4. High, short approach setup: On the first approach, constrained by nearby rising terrain, the pilot flew a high and short final, deploying airbrakes and the braking parachute to land downhill on the sloping field.
5. Aborted approach, reorientation: Realizing late that he would not be able to stop within the field, the pilot retracted the airbrakes but decided to abandon the downhill approach and turn to land uphill in the opposite direction, leaving the braking parachute still deployed.
6. Speed loss and roll control loss: With the braking parachute still creating high drag during a low-altitude turn to reverse direction, the glider’s airspeed decayed rapidly, bank angle increased, the aircraft began to skid inward, and the pilot lost effective roll control.
7. Crash - serious injury: The glider struck the ground first with the left wing, then the nose and right wing in the selected field near Corban, destroying the aircraft and causing injuries that required hospitalization.