Accident to the Centrair 101 Pégase registered F-CHLU on 19/04/2010 at Pont-sur-Yonne

Cat. 2 investigation report: simplified-format report, adapted to the circumstances of the occurrence and the investigation stakes.

The pilot carried out a towed take-off from Pont-sur-Yonne aerodrome at about 12:25. He climbed using thermal uplifts located near the aerodrome for around 25 minutes until he reached an altitude of about 1,800 m. He then headed south-east of the aerodrome for approximately two hours: the altitude of the glider varied between 1,200 and 2,300 m.
Around 15:00, he turned around and maintained an altitude of between 1,300 and 1,900 m for 45 minutes. He then started a descent until he reached an altitude of 800 m at 5 Nm from the aerodrome at about 16:00. He next used other uplifts for approximately five minutes until he reached an altitude of 1,350 m, before heading towards the aerodrome in descent.
According to the witnesses, the glider followed a steady downward path to the ground.
The examination of the wreckage did not reveal any element contributing to the accident. During the last minute of flight, the glider abruptly entered a nose-down attitude and initiated a right turn. This path suggests that the pilot was no longer piloting the glider.
It can be conjectured from the pathologies revealed by the autopsy that the pilot might have had a dizzy spell or fainted. Flight conditions in a glider at an altitude of more than 1,500 m for three hours, expose pilots with cardiovascular disorders to complications linked to exertion and high-altitude hypoxia.