Accident to the Caproni Calif A-21S registered F-CALI on 26/07/2024 at Aspres-sur-Buëch

The tug pilot thought he had enough fuel in the selected tank to make the last flight of the series of tows. He did not switch fuel tanks despite a lengthy hold on the ground. During the initial climb, when the tug approached the end of the runway and the edge of the plateau, the pilot observed an irregular operation of the engine. He adopted a nose-down attitude to maintain speed and switched fuel tanks. Observing that the cable was slackening and that the aeroplane was descending, the glider pilot released the cable. As the engine had regained rated power and resumed the climb, the tug pilot realised that the glider pilot had released the cable. After releasing the cable, the glider pilot estimated, without checking his altimeter, that he was high enough to attempt a U-turn and come back to land at the aerodrome on the opposite QFU. During the right turn, the glider’s wing struck the perimeter fence of a photovoltaic array field bordering the aerodrome. The glider’s path ended in this field.