Gliders - 2024
In 2024, the BEA published 15 reports concerning glider or tug plane accidents and incidents. Three of these published reports are based on the pilot’s statement.
The accidents resulted in the fatal injury to five people. Ten people were injured, including six seriously injured. Seven safety themes emerge from these reports.
Several of these themes have already been identified in the reviews of the glider accident reports published in 2023 , 2022 , 2021 and 2020.
Position de l’épave du HB-2550 (Source : BEA)
1. Always having a precautionary landing option
It is important that at all times, the pilot has the possibility of reaching an aerodrome or safe landing area during cross-country flights.
The Guide to safe landing areas in the Alps published by the French glider federation (FFVP) allows the pilot to locate the most appropriate places for an off-field landing in the Alps.
The report concerning the accident to F-CGFF on 15 August 2022 at Veynes illustrates this safety theme.
Similar occurrences published in 2024:
accident to HB-2550 on 6 April 2023 at Thorame-Basse: Collision with a tree during an off-field landing. The pilot was not aware of the existence of a safe landing area situated a few hundred metres from where he decided to land. He did not use the Guide to safe landing areas in the Alps;
accident to F-CFDG on 8 July 2023 at Mons: Loss of altitude after cable release during towed take-off, hard off-field landing. During this occurrence, flight performance was severely degraded as soon as the cable was released. The pilot continued the flight in these conditions, and found himself out of reach of a listed safe landing area and with no possibility of carrying out an off-field landing in a suitable field;
accident to F-CIGB on 31 July 2023 at Archigny: Hard off-field landing during a competition flight (desktop investigation);
accident to F-CEAV on 8 March 2024 at Clavier: Slope soaring flight, off-field landing, power line strike, collision with ground, in instruction.
Five people were injured including four seriously in the occurrences mentioned above.
This theme was identified in 2023 with a published report concerning an accident in which one person was fatally injured and in 2020 with two published reports concerning accidents in which one person was injured.
2. Rejected take-off
In the event of a rejected take-off while towing, the tug pilot must release the glider, ensure that it is actually released, and then clear the runway axis to give the glider room to stop. If the tug pilot and the glider pilot determine the paths to be followed prior to the flight or if there are club instructions, taking into account the local environment, this will help the pilots in this dynamic flight phase.
The report concerning the accident to F-CHIN on 10 April 2023 at Sarreguemines-Neunkirch illustrates this safety theme. The glider stalled at low height while the instructor was attempting to carry out a U-turn.
When rejecting a winch take-off, the pilot must release the cable and simultaneously pitch down in order to seek the optimum approach speed. When this rejected take-off occurs at a low height (below 100 m), the pilot must privilege landing straight ahead. The FFVP proposes several before-flight briefings in the video series “Briefings avant vol” on its website. In video 28/46 about preparing for a winch launch, “Préparation au vol treuil”, an example of a briefing in the event of a cable break at low height is proposed (see from 14 min 50 s). The video, “Le treuil - procédures normales “ covers normal winch procedures.
The report concerning the accident to F-CHMF on 18 July 2023 at Orléans Saint-Denis-de-l’Hôtel illustrates this safety theme.
Similar occurrence published in 2024:
accident to F-CTAR on 29 September 2024 at Graulhet-Montdragon: Rupture of winch cable during take-off, hard landing, during a light instruction flight (desktop investigation).
An engine failure during a self-launch will also result in a rejected take-off. The pilot is confronted with a situation for which he has little training.
The report concerning the accident to F-CVAS on 25 August 2023 at Albertville illustrates this safety theme. The engine shut down during the initial climb and the pilot quickly lost control of the glider which collided with the ground. The BEA addressed a safety recommendation to EASA about the continued airworthiness of the Janus CM.
Two people were fatally injured and four people were injured including two seriously in the occurrences mentioned above.
This theme was identified in 2023 with one report and in 2021 with a published report concerning an accident in which one person was seriously injured.
3. Safety margin in relation to terrain
It is usual for a glider to use uplifts close to the terrain. The safety margins are reduced and the manoeuvring height does not always permit the pilot to regain control of the glider in the event of an unforeseeable event.
The Safety in Mountain Flying guide available on the CNVV website contains fundamental recommendations on mountain flying techniques. In particular, it addresses the techniques of flying near the terrain and the associated aerological traps.
A favourable environment for uplifts does not always guarantee their presence, it is thus necessary to maintain a sufficient height margin and a turning away option.
The report concerning the accident to F-CVMP on 22 July 2023 at Le Puigmal illustrates this safety theme.
The experienced instructor who was familiar with mountain flying was injured during this accident.
This theme was identified in 2023 with two published reports, in 2022 with one published report, in 2021 with five published reports concerning accidents in which two people were fatally injured and one person was injured, and in 2020 with five published reports concerning accidents in which three people were fatally injured and three people were injured.
4. Confusion between controls
Despite the colour-coding of the most common glider flight controls, the position of the controls in the cabin is not standardised and can sometimes be very different from one glider to another. It is essential to review the position of the controls before the flight in order to limit the possibility of confusion.
In 2015, the FFVP published an article entitled “La confusion des commandes, comment s’en protéger" discussing how controls may be confused and how to avoid this. In particular, it recommends that the pilot visually checks the position of a control to be manoeuvred before performing any action on it, and then checks the direct effects of his actions. When faced with an unexpected situation, pilots are advised to check that the correct control has been operated.
The report concerning the accident to F-CLUI on 23 October 2023 at Bagnères-de-Luchon illustrates this safety theme.
Similar occurrence published in 2024:
accident to F-CFDG on 8 July 2023 at Mons: Loss of altitude after cable release during towed take-off, hard off-field landing.
These accidents did not give rise to corporal injury.
This theme was also identified in 2022 with two reports and in 2021 with one report concerning an accident in which one person was seriously injured.
Numerous pilot reports on the FFVP site concern this theme.
5. Pilot incapacitation
The possession of a class 2 medical fitness certificate is not necessarily a guarantee of good cardiovascular health in the absence of any medical history or cardiovascular risk factor reported by the pilot at the time of the medical examination. For an individual with a cardiac predisposition, the physiological stresses inherent in the type of flight (aerobatics), in-flight manoeuvres (tight turns), general flight conditions (high temperatures) or even sudden stress during the flight might contribute to an in-flight incapacitation. Cardiac pathologies, which can be conducive to the onset of a malaise, can go undetected, and in-depth cardiological examinations are often necessary to detect them. A more proactive approach to medical check-ups is recommended for all pilots involved in sport activities such as gliding.
The report concerning the accident to F-CIGJ on 22 August 2023 at Issoire – Le Broc illustrates this safety theme.
Similar occurrence published in 2024:
accident to OE-5751 on 16 July 2023 at Méolans-Revel. The investigation identified a context that could have favoured the onset of cardiac rhythm disorders without being able to provide any evidence to support with certainty the hypothesis of an in-flight malaise.
The pilots in the above two accidents were fatally injured.
This theme was also identified in 2022 with one published report concerning an accident in which one person was fatally injured and in which the hypothesis of moderate pilot hypoxia having a contributory effect was put forward and in 2021 with three published reports concerning accidents in which three people were fatally injured including two in which the hypothesis of pilot hypoxia having a contributory effect was put forward.
6. Unusual position of glider in tow
An unusual glider position in towed flight can lead to the combination being destabilised or even an in-flight loss of control. The French civil aviation safety directorate (DSAC) and the FFVP underline the threats linked to the glider being in a high position and the recommended measures to avoid this situation in the following videos: Haute tension (high tension in the tow line) and Les positions hautes en remorquage (high tow positions). Although this problem has been particularly worrying in recent years, a reduction in the number of occurrences has been noted. The FFVP has received numerous reports which show that pilots no longer hesitate releasing the cable in the event of difficulty.
In these videos, it is strongly recommended that the tug pilot release the cable as soon as he has control difficulties and for the glider pilot-in-command to do the same as soon as he loses sight of the tug plane.
The report concerning the accident to F-BTBC on 12 July 2022 at Revel-Montgey during which the tug pilot lost control of the aeroplane illustrates this safety theme.
One person was fatally injured in this occurrence.
This theme was also identified in 2022 with three published reports concerning accidents in which one person was fatally injured and one person seriously injured and in 2021 with three published reports concerning accidents in which one person was fatally injured and two people were injured, including one seriously injured.
7. Prevention of cartwheel (loss of control during take-off run)
During the take-off run, whether it is a towed or winch take-off, the pilot must, as soon as he detects that he cannot hold the wings horizontal, actuate the release handle as early as possible in order to avoid cartwheeling with often catastrophic consequences. He must act before a wing touches the ground, in a dynamic, even very dynamic flight phase, during a winch take-off. Although this phenomenon was a subject of concern a few years ago, a reduction in the number of occurrences has been noted.
A video describing the cartwheel phenomenon, made in 2019, is accessible from the light aviation safety portal. In this video it is mentioned that the pilot must absolutely grasp the release handle just before the cable becomes taut, whether it be a towed or winch take-off.
This recommendation is now indicated at the bottom of the reverse side of the “CRIS” before-take-off vital actions checklist, which has been standardized at FFVP club level.
The report concerning the accident to F-CZAN on 25 June 2024 illustrates this safety theme (desktop investigation).
One report concerning this theme was published in 2022 and three reports in 2020.
Reminder of themes in previous years
Safety margin in relation to terrain
Always having a precautionary landing option
Rigging, pre-flight check and performance of before take-off safety actions
Aborting a winch take-off following the rupture of the cable
Use of engine in flight
Managing vertical profile on final approach
Pilot incapacitation
Unusual position of glider in tow
Safety margin in relation to terrain
Confusion between controls
Prevention of cartwheel (loss of control during take-off run)
Safety margin in relation to terrain
Start of search and rescue operations in the event of an accident
Unusual position of glider in tow
Pilot incapacitation
Detecting obstacles
Safety margin in relation to terrain
Pre-flight check and performance of pre-take-off safety actions
Prevention of cartwheel (loss of control during take-off run)
Always having a precautionary landing option
Reconnaissance and detecting obstacles during an off-field landing
