Ka 6 collision with car during landing at Samedan airfield
On July 29, 1963, a Ka 6 glider collided with a car during landing at Samedan Airfield in Switzerland. The pilot, after a four-hour flight, misjudged the approach and overran the landing area, striking a vehicle crossing the airfield boundary road. The air traffic controller did not activate the signal to stop road traffic during the landing. No injuries were reported, but both the glider and the car sustained significant damage. The investigation highlighted the lack of road closure and the pilot's miscalculation as contributing factors.
- Landing approach: After a four-hour local Alpine soaring flight, the pilot commenced a landing approach to runway direction 03 on the 180 m glider landing area at Samedan.
- Approach misjudged: The pilot misjudged both height and speed on final, resulting in an approach that was too long for the available landing distance.
- Pilot fatigue: The pilot had been flying for about four hours, and the investigation considered possible fatigue as a factor in the misjudged approach.
- Road not closed: The flight operations officer, occupied with office work, did not notice the glider’s approach and left the road signal showing green, so the crossing road remained open to traffic.
- Brakes applied: The pilot used the glider’s brakes but was unable to stop within the grass landing area before reaching the boundary road.
- Car enters crossing: A motorist, seeing the road signal on green, drove toward and onto the airfield crossing and began braking only after hearing shouted warnings.
- Crash - no injury: At 18:16 the glider overran the landing area and its right wing struck the right side of the car on the road, causing substantial damage to both vehicles but no injuries.