ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 228009
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| Date: | Wednesday 7 August 2019 |
| Time: | 14:29 LT |
| Type: |  Akaflieg Braunschweig SB-5e Danzig |
| Owner/operator: | Eden Soaring Ltd |
| Registration: | G-DEJH |
| MSN: | 5041A |
| Year of manufacture: | 1970 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Cross Fell, near Kirkland, Cumbria -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Skelling Farm, Skirwith, Penrith, Cumbria |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A 15 year old pilot, who was part of a private group visiting a gliding club near Penrith, was flying low behind the ridge at Cross Fell in the Pennines when the tail section of the glider began to oscillate rapidly before breaking away from the glider. The glider pitched nose down and was heavily disrupted when it struck the surface. The pilot was seriously injured.
AAIB Conclusion:
This accident occurred as a result of a structural failure of the tail section of the glider due to flutter, which likely occurred when the glider was flying between the Maximum Rough Air speed limit and VNE.
Divergent flutter of the V-tail developed when the glider flew low into an area where turbulence might be encountered. The investigation was unable to discount the possibility that there was pre-existing damage or that the aeroelastic properties of the structure had changed over time. It was also not possible to eliminate the possibility that there had been free play in the control system or structural damage having occurred prior to, or during the accident flight. The glider also had design features which made it more susceptible to flutter than gliders certified to current regulations.
The pilot reported that he had flown to the Rough Air speed limit displayed on the cockpit placard and marked on the ASI; however, he would not have known that this limit was incorrect, and the permitted limit was 10 kt lower. Given that the BGA Certificate of Airworthiness quoted the same, incorrect, speed limit when the glider was imported to the UK in 1981, it is likely that the placard and ASI had been incorrectly annotated since this time. This suggested that individuals who replaced the placards and ASI markings had copied the limits across, rather than referring to a source document.
The pilot had received limited training and practical experience of ridge flying. His practical understanding of flying the ridges near Cross Fell was provided by another 15 year old pilot while flying together in the same glider. The BGA is addressing the absence of formal training on ridge flying by introducing a training syllabus which will bring it in-line with the requirements of EASA Part-SFCL.
The pilot’s logbook and training cards were not complete, leaving the CFI to partially base his assessment of the pilot’s abilities on the check flights and discussion with the pilot, which led the CFI to believe that his experience was greater than it actually was. The BGA has advised that the increasing trend is for small groups of pilots to visit and fly from other sites, which reinforces the need for pilots’ records to be complete and for host clubs to have robust processes in place to accurately assess the ability of visiting pilots.
The investigation also found that while the airframe was compliant with two relevant ADs, there was no record of these having been carried out as there was no AD Status Form (BGA 280) available for G-DEJH. Maintaining an accurate record of the status of ADs is an essential part of ensuring the airworthiness of an aircraft.
G-DEJH was a 1970 J Altroder-built Akaflieg Braunschweig SB-5E Danzig ex-BGA.2719. First registered as G-DEJH 17/2/2008. Registration G-DEJH cancelled (de-registered) 27/1/2020 as "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB Final report: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/aaib-report-g-dejh-structural-failure-of-glider-tail-assembly-cross-fell-pennines-cumbria
2. https://www.cumbriacrack.com/2019/08/08/teenager-flown-to-hospital-after-glider-crash/
3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-49261604
4. https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/our-work/news-events/news/air-crash-investigators-arrive-in-cumbria-after-glider-crashes/
5. https://www.itv.com/news/border/2019-08-08/teenager-seriously-injured-after-glider-crash/
6. https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/17825085.serious-injuries-boy-15/
7. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-aaib-has-sent-a-team-to-cumbria--2
8. https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/17825126.boy-15-seriously-injured-cumbrian-glider-crash/?ref=mac
9. http://www.edensoaring.co.uk/page/?aboutus
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_Fell
11. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-49550853
12. https://www.itv.com/news/2019-09-02/mothers-joy-after-teenage-gilder-pilot-survives-remote-crash/
13. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/mothers-joy-after-teenage-gilder-pilot-survives-remote-crash-38458446.html
14. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000294857.html
15. http://www.edensoaring.co.uk/gallery.php?id=The%20Airfield#ad-image-0
16. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/BGA%202719.html
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akaflieg_Braunschweig_SB-5_Danzig#Variants
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 9 August 1976 | D-0087 | 1 |  |
sub |
Media:
A pilot was flying low behind the ridge at Cross Fell in the Pennines when the tail section of the glider broke away. The glider, an SB-5E, pitched nose down and was heavily disrupted when it struck the surface.
— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) March 25, 2021
Read the AAIB report:https://t.co/NM4hej75uz pic.twitter.com/7ccAixOhGd
Air crash investigators arrive in Cumbria after glider crashes https://t.co/CEC53F7mpX
— Great North Air Ambulance (@GNairambulance) August 8, 2019
The AAIB has sent a team to investigate an accident involving a glider that occurred near Kirkland, Cumbria.
— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) August 7, 2019
Read more about how we investigate aircraft accidents:https://t.co/1ptiUNyF14 pic.twitter.com/vzxoX6NgV9
A glider aircraft has crashed on a Cumbrian mountain. It happened on Cross Fell on the Pennines this afternoon. A man's been flown to hospital by @GNairambulance with a head injury. The glider had taken off from Eden Soaring near Skirwith, east of Penrith.
— BBC Cumbria (@BBC_Cumbria) August 7, 2019
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Aug-2019 20:32 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 07-Aug-2019 20:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Embed code] |
| 08-Aug-2019 10:47 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Narrative] |
| 08-Aug-2019 10:49 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Source] |
| 08-Aug-2019 15:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 08-Aug-2019 15:34 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport, Embed code] |
| 08-Aug-2019 15:39 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Aug-2019 15:42 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 21-Feb-2020 13:49 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 21-Feb-2020 13:50 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
| 17-May-2020 16:24 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 17-May-2020 16:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 20-May-2020 20:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 25-Mar-2021 11:46 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Accident report] |
| 06-Apr-2021 14:18 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
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