Glider Crash Argentina

On Thursday, February 27, 2014 6:40:37 PM UTC-3, wrote:
The glider (a Jantar Std. 2)spun in from low altitude when turning to land in a field. The pilot´s neck snapped during impact and she died on the spot.

She was on a tight final glide flying together with another glider with a highly experienced pilot and a few km from the field they decided to do a 180 to face the wind and land in a field. The other glider landed normally and when the pilot opened his canopy to look back and watch her landing she had already crashed.

I don´t have more details at the moment but I´m sure the logs and other information will be made available.

The entire Argentine gliding community was saddened by the loss of this enthusiastic and promising young pilot. She held a national altitude record and had recently completed her first 500 km task.

Regards,

Juan Carlos

I meant to say they were a few km from the airfield, not the landout field, when they turned to land. Sorry.

Thank You very much Juan.

We share your sadness at the loss of such a wonderful person.

Sean

On Thursday, February 27, 2014 4:40:37 PM UTC-5, wrote:
The glider (a Jantar Std. 2)spun in from low altitude when turning to land in a field. The pilot´s neck snapped during impact and she died on the spot.

She was on a tight final glide flying together with another glider with a highly experienced pilot and a few km from the field they decided to do a 180 to face the wind and land in a field. The other glider landed normally and when the pilot opened his canopy to look back and watch her landing she had already crashed.

I don´t have more details at the moment but I´m sure the logs and other information will be made available.

The entire Argentine gliding community was saddened by the loss of this enthusiastic and promising young pilot. She held a national altitude record and had recently completed her first 500 km task.

Regards,

Juan Carlos

While these things are distressing, we need to know as much as we can about
them to add to our bag of experience. Maybe we can learn from her
misfortune and, in the future, prevent someone else making the same
mistake(s).


"Andrew Brayer" wrote in message
...
On Saturday, February 22, 2014 12:09:56 PM UTC-5, Sean F (F2) wrote:
Not sure if this has been mentioned here. Looks like a landing or
out-landing phase.



http://www.eldiariodelapampa.com.ar/...2#.UwjZYEJdVo1



http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=163779

a young girl is dead for christ's sake. keep those articles for yourself.
i know i don't have to read the post, but who WOULD want to click it and
look at pictures of a crashed glider with a blanket draped over the
tragedy in the cockpit.

Unfortunately, all that can be learned is what we already know: you must fly coordinated and maintain airspeed in the pattern. This is a depressingly common type of accident.
Tom

On Thursday, February 27, 2014 3:23:19 PM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
While these things are distressing, we need to know as much as we can about

them to add to our bag of experience. Maybe we can learn from her

misfortune and, in the future, prevent someone else making the same

mistake(s).





"Andrew Brayer" wrote in message

...

On Saturday, February 22, 2014 12:09:56 PM UTC-5, Sean F (F2) wrote:

Not sure if this has been mentioned here. Looks like a landing or

out-landing phase.







http://www.eldiariodelapampa.com.ar/...2#.UwjZYEJdVo1







http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=163779



a young girl is dead for christ's sake. keep those articles for yourself.

i know i don't have to read the post, but who WOULD want to click it and

look at pictures of a crashed glider with a blanket draped over the

tragedy in the cockpit.

On Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:16:43 PM UTC-8, 2G wrote:
Unfortunately, all that can be learned is what we already know: you must fly coordinated and maintain airspeed in the pattern. This is a depressingly common type of accident.

Tom

Probably true, although you don't really know if there is something new to learn until you investigate the accident trail. It is precisely because stall/spin is the number one cause of fatalities by a wide margin, that we all know that and yet it continues to happen, that trying to understand the sequence of events that led this awful outcome is an important endeavor. Perhaps we learn nothing new, but even the reminder has value.

9B

On Friday, February 28, 2014 12:16:43 AM UTC-6, 2G wrote:
Unfortunately, all that can be learned is what we already know: you must fly coordinated and maintain airspeed in the pattern. This is a depressingly common type of accident.

Tom

Actually, in accidents like this, the final airspeed/coordination in the "pattern" is usually the least interesting part of it. From what has been reported here, this was a low final glide, 3 km short of the airfield, and a quick decision to land in a field rather than push the last 3 km. One report cited wind direction concerns as well.

Accidents usually involve a chain of events, and if you want to put it in a common category, it might be more productive to put this in the "final glide coffin corner" chain of events that precipitated the stall spin. If 3 km out, there is obviously not enough altitude to do anything like a "pattern.."

Yes, Chuck Yeager does not stall / spin even if he starts a pattern at 200 feet and 40 knots. But for the rest of us mortals, avoiding getting to such a position is the harder challenge.

This -- low energy final glide gone wrong in the last few moments, crash very near the airport -- is a indeed a depressingly common type of accident, but better airspeed and coordination, though vital, is not the only lesson.

John Cochrane

I often think that the roll of fear, or high levels of anxiety, are not talked about enough. It's very hard to fly when you are scared sh*tless. I think being scared is a major factor in most accidents. I think along with airspeed, and fly the airplane, we should also throw in calm down. I think many people are literally scared to death.

Boggs

On Saturday, February 22, 2014 12:09:56 PM UTC-5, Sean F (F2) wrote:
Not sure if this has been mentioned here. Looks like a landing or out-landing phase.



http://www.eldiariodelapampa.com.ar/...2#.UwjZYEJdVo1



http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=163779

you'll only have to partially excuse me. i was in a terrible mood yesterday at work and got on RAS briefly to lift my spirits, and this was the first thing i saw. so i apologize for flaming-out on you. i still think we need to be careful to the sensitivity of such issues, not to accuse you of being insensitive, in ernest. we should try to learn what we can from other pilots mistakes. i stand by my original post in many ways, but do apologize for it's sharpness.

On Friday, February 28, 2014 10:06:23 AM UTC-5, Waveguru wrote:
I often think that the roll of fear, or high levels of anxiety, are not talked about enough. It's very hard to fly when you are scared sh*tless. I think being scared is a major factor in most accidents. I think along with airspeed, and fly the airplane, we should also throw in calm down. I think many people are literally scared to death.



Boggs

I think back to the one time when I dinged an airplane. It was definitely a final glide coffin corner event exacerbated by being scared s***less and several other factors. I was just lucky. 1991 Lancaster SC regional. Only my 3rd year of competing and the first time at a completely new area. Bad weather on practice day, so unfamiliar with the overall area. Pre gps. Weather starts out good but deck moves in and day shuts down. Obvious this is the last climb, and I top out, then head off. Lots of little towns with 4 roads a water tower and railroad tracks. Prayer wheel says I'll make it at about pattern altitude. Field choices good up to a few miles out but a little spottier close in. Is this actually Lancaster? Crap - it's not. Notch the nerves up even higher. Tunnel vision. Staring at altimeter and map. Mouth is dry. Tap dancing on rudder pedals (what I do when I'm tense). Finally, see airport. I made it. Fly a tight, low pattern and opt for the taxiway (a tougher option) to save tow back from apron (obviously not thinking clearly). Mush it on semi-stalled just short of the taxiway lip and wipe out the undercarriage. Just imagine if that wasn't the airport and I had to make a difficult field landing over high trees or cross a ditch. I think the added pressure we put on ourselves that we HAVE to get back to the home field and only admitting defeat at the last second degrades our airmanship by a significant margin.

P3

I completely understand Andy. No worries.

On Friday, February 28, 2014 10:10:52 AM UTC-5, Andrew Brayer wrote:
On Saturday, February 22, 2014 12:09:56 PM UTC-5, Sean F (F2) wrote:

Not sure if this has been mentioned here. Looks like a landing or out-landing phase.







http://www.eldiariodelapampa.com.ar/...2#.UwjZYEJdVo1







http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=163779



you'll only have to partially excuse me. i was in a terrible mood yesterday at work and got on RAS briefly to lift my spirits, and this was the first thing i saw. so i apologize for flaming-out on you. i still think we need to be careful to the sensitivity of such issues, not to accuse you of being insensitive, in ernest. we should try to learn what we can from other pilots mistakes. i stand by my original post in many ways, but do apologize for it's sharpness.