Accidente de un SHK 1 durante una competición cerca de Corban, Suiza, resultando en lesiones

El 5 de julio de 1969, un Schempp-Hirth SHK-1 se estrelló cerca de Corban, Suiza, durante una competición regional de vuelo a vela. El piloto intentó un aterrizaje en campo tras no lograr suficiente altitud para superar el terreno. Durante la aproximación final, el piloto perdió el control, resultando en un accidente que destruyó el planeador. El piloto sufrió lesiones que requirieron hospitalización, pero no hubo víctimas mortales. La investigación destacó la falta de liberación del paracaídas de frenado como un factor clave en la pérdida de 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.