Schweizer
2-33A C-GCSD
14
August 2003
Debert, Nova Scotia
The solo student was participating in the Atlantic
Regional Gliding School program when the glider's left
wing struck a tree during the turn to final. The glider
then crashed and came to rest upside down. The cadet
received minor injuries. The glider received "A"
category damage.
The student was three-quarters of the way through her
course and had two circuit checks with an instructor
and two solo flights just prior to her final flight.
During these four flights, lift was encountered during
the downwind portion of the circuit and resulted in
the student landing long. Once airborne, the student
encountered turbulent conditions while on tow; she conducted
several stalls in the practice area before joining the
circuit. The student then entered left downwind lower
than the recommended height to compensate for the earlier
encountered lift. However, conditions had changed in
the short time since her last flight and her final take-off
11 minutes earlier: the winds shifted to a right crosswind
that bordered on allowable limits and the previously-encountered
lift was no longer present.
The ground staff noticed the changing conditions and
provided direction to the solo student as she drifted
wide on downwind. Further direction was given to the
student as it became evident that she was becoming critically
low while on base leg. The student had to pass by a
large tree on the airfield perimeter before she was
able to align the glider for a landing. It was during
the attempt to pass this obstacle that the glider's
wing struck the tree. The glider then spun to the left
and, in a very nose-low attitude, struck the ground
nose-first. The glider rotated about its vertical axis
and then came to rest on its back. The student released
herself from her harness and fell to the top of the
cockpit where she remained trapped until ground personnel
could open the canopy.
Damage to the glider was severe. The outboard portion
of the left wing was almost torn from the rest of the
wing while the right wing suffered severe ground impact
damage. The aircrafts' nose was pushed in and shattered
while the vertical stabilizer was severely crushed.
The investigation is focusing on the student training
history, airfield obstacles, and wind conditions.
|
