Mucha 100-A incident near Samedan: pilot injured in stall and crash
On July 30, 1960, a Mucha 100-A glider crashed near Samedan, Switzerland, after stalling during a turn. The pilot, who had limited experience with the aircraft, was performing an alpine flight when the glider entered a spin and impacted the hillside. The pilot sustained serious injuries but survived, while the glider was destroyed. The investigation highlighted the pilot's insufficient experience and inadequate training on the high-performance glider as contributing factors.
- Winch launch climb: The pilot launched by winch from Samedan airfield and climbed to an almost 400 m height above the field.
- Low pilot experience: The pilot had only about 17 flight hours total and minimal prior time on the Mucha 100-A, without thorough conversion training to this higher-performance glider.
- Demanding aircraft traits: The Mucha 100-A was a modern performance glider with relatively poor stall warning in turns and reduced acoustic and visual speed cues, placing higher demands on pilot skill.
- Ridge soaring Muottas: After gaining height in ridge lift at Muottas Muragl, the pilot flew along the ridge crest about 50–80 m above ground near the Kulmhotel.
- Stall in left turn: While initiating a left turn from the ridge toward the valley, the glider’s speed dropped below the safe minimum and it abruptly rolled off over the left wing.
- Unrecovered spin: Following the stall, the glider entered a spin and, with insufficiently effective recovery, continued for nearly two turns toward the hillside.
- Crash - serious injury: After almost two turns of spin, the glider impacted the west slope of Muottas Muragl around 1402, seriously injuring the pilot and destroying the aircraft.