Accidente del Grunau Baby II durante entrenamiento de remolque en el aeródromo de Bad Ragaz
El 16 de julio de 1963, un Grunau Baby II se estrelló durante un vuelo de entrenamiento de remolque en el aeródromo de Bad Ragaz en Suiza. El piloto, reanudando el entrenamiento tras una larga pausa, soltó el remolque cerca de una línea de alta tensión, temiendo una colisión. Al intentar volar por debajo de la línea, el planeador impactó contra el suelo en un ángulo pronunciado. El piloto sufrió heridas leves, mientras que el planeador quedó completamente destruido. El informe oficial atribuye el accidente a un error de juicio del piloto sobre la situación.
- Aerotow initial climb: During the second aerotow training flight after a break of more than a year, the glider was climbing behind the Chipmunk towplane from runway 29.
- Low recent experience: The pilot had limited total gliding experience and was resuming flying after an interruption of more than one year, reducing his recency and judgment margins.
- High-voltage line ahead: About 550 m beyond the runway end in the takeoff direction, a roughly 30 m high high-voltage power line crossed the departure path, making climb performance margins tight.
- Perceived obstacle conflict: As the tow approached the power line, the glider pilot, having overflown the towplane, believed the combination would not clear the cables and feared a collision.
- Premature tow release: Shortly before the power line, the pilot released from tow and immediately pushed into a steep dive in an attempt to pass under the cables.
- Excessive nose-down dive: In diving to avoid the perceived obstacle, the pilot steepened the glider’s attitude so much that he could not recover to level flight in the remaining height above ground.
- Crash - minor injury: The glider struck the ground at a steep angle short of the power line, was completely destroyed, and the pilot sustained only minor abrasions.