Crash d'un SZD-24 C lors d'un lancement au treuil à l'aérodrome de Samedan, décès du pilote
Le 24 juillet 1966, un SZD-24 C a subi un accident mortel à l'aérodrome de Samedan en Suisse. Lors d'un lancement au treuil, le pilote a interrompu la montée à environ 80 mètres et a tenté une manœuvre de demi-tour. Le planeur a décroché et s'est écrasé d'une hauteur d'environ 50 mètres, entraînant la mort du pilote et la destruction du planeur. L'enquête a suggéré que le déploiement des aérofreins lors d'un virage lent a probablement contribué à l'accident.
- Winch launch climb: During a winch launch from Samedan airfield, the Foka HB-722 climbed normally to about 80 m above ground in a 25–30° attitude.
- Early launch abort: At approximately 80 m AGL the pilot unexpectedly lowered the nose, released the winch cable, and continued straight ahead, aborting the launch.
- Low altitude for turn: After release the glider was at only about 80 m above ground with roughly half the runway remaining, providing limited altitude margin for any turnback maneuver.
- Attempted turnback: Instead of landing straight ahead, the pilot initiated a 180° right turn with about 45° bank at a speed that witnesses perceived as close to the lower limit.
- Dive brakes extended: Towards the end of the slow 180° turn, the pilot extended the dive brakes to approximately half travel, further increasing drag and speed loss.
- Stall and spiral: With low airspeed in a 45° bank and dive brakes deployed, the glider lost lift, the turn tightened into a spiral, and the nose dropped from about 50 m AGL.
- Crash - fatal: After about one full spiral turn the glider impacted the ground nose and right wingtip first at a steep angle of 70–80°, fatally injuring the pilot and destroying the aircraft.