Accident to the Comco Ikarus C42 identified 03AEN and the Schleicher ASK21 registered F-CITS on 11/09/2019 at Itxassou (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
Perte de contrôle de l'ULM remorqueur au décollage et collision avec le sol ; collision du planeur remorqué avec un arbre, en instruction
Cat. 2 investigation report: simplified-format report, adapted to the circumstances of the occurrence and the investigation stakes.
During take-off, the path of the tug microlight gradually deviated to the left of the runway centreline in the direction of the wind and engine torque effects. The instructor asked the student-pilot to follow the tug, and the glider, still on the ground, laterally followed the microlight’s path with a left yaw movement. When the combination was in the air and the glider was at low height, the microlight adopted an increasingly steep nose-up attitude. The instructor on board the glider took over the controls and asked the tug pilot several times over the radio to stop pulling on the controls. The tug pilot did not respond. The left wing of the microlight then stalled and the microlight collided with the ground. The instructor released the cable before colliding with the ground. By chance, the student-pilot and the glider instructor came out of the occurrence unscathed.
The combination’s manoeuvres cannot be explained by a lateral deviation of the glider in relation to the tug. However, the observations of the emergency services, the autopsy results and the pilot’s past medical history, as well as his lack of response over the radio, point to the tug pilot becoming incapacitated during the flight. The pilot’s advanced age as well as the nine flights performed in the afternoon could have contributed to this incapacitation.
Having suffered a heart attack 20 years previously, the tug pilot had adopted a healthy lifestyle enabling him to conform to the requirements of the class 2 medical regulations with an Operational Safety pilot Limitation (OSL) which required him to fly on board a certified aircraft in the presence of a second qualified pilot who would be able to take over the controls in the event of a possible in-flight incapacitation.
His determination to fly, the service he rendered to the club and his aeronautical experience resulted in him being alone on board a microlight in compliance with the regulations, but contrary to the meaning of the OSL limitation to which he was subject (single pilot flight prohibited) and that he adhered to for his glider flights.
The BEA issues 1 safety recommendation:
- Recommendation FRAN-2021-012 / Medical requirements for towing a glider with a microlight
The BEA recommends that:
- in the absence of medical requirements for towing a glider with a microlight and given the regulatory inconsistency raised by the accident, namely a pilot with a medical certificate with an OSL limitation flying alone on board a microlight which was towing a glider,
- whereas the glider clubs’ judgement with respect to medical matters may not be sufficient without resolute encouragement or support,
- whereas the use of microlights for towing will, in all likelihood, be more frequent in the future,
the French glider federation (FFVP) encourage the glider clubs to adopt appropriate medical measures for their tug microlight pilots.
The recommendation is being processed
The status of the recommendations is available at SRIS2: click here
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Note: in accordance with the provisions of Article 17.3 of Regulation No 996/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 on the investigation and prevention of accidents and incidents in civil aviation, a safety recommendation in no case creates a presumption of fault or liability in an accident, serious incident or incident. The recipients of safety recommendations report to the issuing authority in charge of safety investigations, on the measures taken or being studied for their implementation, as provided for in Article 18 of the aforementioned regulation.