Accident to the Schempp Hirth - Janus B registered F-CFAJ on 02/08/2019 at Val-des-Prés (Hautes-Alpes)

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

Two experienced pilots undertook a flight in a two-seater glider. The pilot in the front seat considered the other pilot to be the pilot-in-command because he held an instructor rating and knew the area better than him. The pilot in the rear seat considered the flight to be a "mutual flight", in which he assumed the role of pilot-in-command but left the controls and initiative to the other pilot. However, neither of the pilots discussed the assignment of roles before the flight.

At a certain point during the flight, the pilot in the front seat continued the flight in conditions that the pilot in the rear seat disapproved of though he did not clearly express this. From that point on, the pilot in the rear seat was tense because landing in Le Rosier field seemed inevitable. However, he left the controls and initiative to the pilot in the front seat.

When the pilot in the front seat could no longer find lift, he decided to abort the flight and land in Le Rosier field. He joined the circuit, giving a commentary out loud of what he was doing. Thinking that he was in difficulty, the pilot in the rear seat took over the controls. He tried unsuccessfully to gain altitude and then resolved to land.

He flew the downwind leg quite close to the landing area. During this, the glider lost little altitude. It was too high on the base leg and the pilot in the rear seat was forced to turn away to lose altitude. On final, with the glider still too high, he extended the flaps and then ordered the pilot in the front seat to deploy the drag chute. The pilot in the front seat, who had been doing nothing since the pilot in the rear seat took over the controls, after a few seconds of hesitation pushed the drag chute control lever to the front stop, causing it to be jettisoned.

In an attempt to avoid a high hedge, they both simultaneously retracted the speedbrakes and pulled the elevator control. The glider struck a tree and came to rest on its back in a river, submerging the occupants.