Grunau Baby II outlanding near Lausanne La Blécherette Airport during training flight

On June 27, 1964, a Grunau Baby II experienced an outlanding near Lausanne La Blécherette Airport, Switzerland. The student pilot, with approximately 20 flight hours, was executing a training flight and attempted to land after nearly an hour in the air. During the approach, the pilot realized he was too low to reach the runway and attempted an emergency landing in a nearby field. The glider's left wingtip contacted the ground, causing the aircraft to pivot and sustain significant fuselage damage. The pilot was uninjured, but the aircraft, built in 1934, was unlikely to be repaired.

1. Aerotow local soaring: The student pilot launched by aerotow from Lausanne-La Blécherette, released at about 600 m, and flew locally for nearly an hour before returning to land.
2. Misjudged approach height: During the standard circuit to runway 01, the pilot flew too long on downwind with a 10-knot NE wind and only realized after the second 90° turn that he was already too low to reach the landing axis, with a row of trees blocking the path.
3. Low experience on type: The student had only about 20 flight hours total and 64 minutes on the Grunau Baby II, reducing his ability to judge height and circuit geometry accurately.
4. Deceptive terrain elevation: The aerodrome sits on an elevated plateau about 50 m above the surrounding terrain, so while flying downwind without seeing the airfield the pilot could easily misjudge his true height above the landing area.
5. Abandons field return: Recognizing he could not safely clear the trees to rejoin the runway axis, the pilot turned away and decided to perform an outlanding in a field below the plateau.
6. Low-altitude tight circuit: To land in the chosen field directly beneath him, the pilot again attempted three 90° turns from only about 25–30 m height, leaving insufficient altitude to complete the approach safely.
7. Outlanding - damage: During the third low-altitude turn into the improvised landing field, the glider’s left wingtip struck the ground, causing the aircraft to pivot and crash, destroying the forward fuselage but leaving the pilot uninjured.