Atterrissage en campagne du DFS Olympia Meise près de Cugy en raison de turbulences de vent

Le 20 mai 1962, un DFS Olympia Meise a effectué un atterrissage en campagne près de Cugy, Suisse. Le pilote, visant à voler vers Berne, a largué le remorquage au-dessus de Vernand et a rencontré des conditions difficiles. Après avoir initialement gagné de l'altitude, le pilote a fait face à de fortes descentes et à des turbulences de vent, ce qui l'a conduit à décider de se poser dans un champ. Lors de l'approche finale, le planeur a décroché et s'est écrasé contre une clôture. Le pilote est resté indemne, mais l'appareil a été détruit.

1. Aerotow cross-country: The pilot aerotowed from Blécherette intending a cross-country flight toward Berne and released over the Vernand forest after initially finding lift.
2. Strong sink encountered: While returning toward Blécherette, the glider encountered strong downdrafts and a passing shower near Cugy, rapidly reducing its altitude and making it unlikely to reach the airfield.
3. Low height for approach: By the time the pilot selected a sloping field near Cugy for an outlanding, the glider was already low, limiting options for a long, stable final approach over nearby power lines.
4. Uncertain wind direction: Local gusty conditions and lack of clear wind indicators made it difficult for the pilot to determine the actual wind direction and strength for the outlanding.
5. Tight low-altitude turn: To land uphill and avoid overflying high-tension lines, the pilot flew a tight 270° turn at about 30 m height to align with the chosen field.
6. Downwind gust, near stall: During the final turn the glider was likely hit by a tailwind gust, causing an incipient stall close to the ground that the pilot tried to counter by pushing the stick forward but without enough height to recover.
7. Crash - no injury: The glider just cleared the first fence but struck the second pasture fence, breaking up on impact while the pilot escaped essentially uninjured.