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| Date: | Wednesday 8 May 2013 |
| Time: | 16:19 |
| Type: |  Avro RJ100 |
| Owner/operator: | Swiss |
| Registration: | HB-IYS |
| MSN: | E3381 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming LF507-1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | LSZH TMA 6 -
 Switzerland
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU/EBBR) |
| Zürich-Kloten Airport (ZRH/LSZH) | |
| Investigating agency: | BFU |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On May 8, 2013, at 09:40 UTC, a paraglider pilot took off from a ridge on the southernmost Jura range for a cross-country flight toward the Black Forest. At 14:04:13 UTC, while climbing slightly, the pilot entered the LSZH 6 terminal control area (TMA) from the west without authorization at an altitude of 1,677 m (5,502 ft AMSL). The lower limit of this TMA is 5,500 ft AMSL and it is classified as Class C airspace.
While the paraglider was within LSZH TMA 6, there were four dangerous near-misses with commercial aircraft on radar-controlled approach to Zurich Airport. The third and fourth encounters were classified as near-collisions. The flight crews of both aircraft reported visual contact with the paraglider:
An Airbus A319-112, registration HB-IPX, callsign SWR63M (Swiss International Air Lines AG), and
An Avro 146-RJ100, registration HB-IYS, callsign SWR78W (Swiss European Air Lines AG).
The near-collisions occurred at altitudes of 7,200 ft AMSL (SWR63M, with a horizontal separation of 390 m and a vertical separation of about 100 m) and 6,550 ft AMSL (SWR78W, with a horizontal distance of 160 m, nearly at the same altitude). The paraglider exited LSZH TMA 6 at 14:20:12 UTC in a slight climb to the north. Both airliners landed uneventfully on Runway 14 at Zurich Airport.
Causes
The serious incident was caused by a paraglider pilot entering Class C airspace without the required clearance, while commercial aircraft under radar control were on approach to Zurich, resulting in two near-collisions.
Direct causes identified:
-Insufficient preflight preparation by the paraglider pilot for the cross-country flight.
-Failure to heed an airspace warning issued by the GPS device carried by the pilot.
-No reaction by the pilot after first noticing a nearby commercial aircraft.
Systemic cause identified:
Absence of a safety system capable of warning against dangerous proximity between the paraglider and commercial aircraft.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
BFU EX006-13
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 16 November 2010 | HB-IYS | Swiss International Air Lines | 0 | Frankfurt International Airport (FRA/EDDF) |  |
non |
| Loss of pressurization | ||||||
| 3 February 2025 | 5A-FLF | Air Libya | 0 | near Sofia |  |
non |
| Loss of pressurization | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jan-2024 17:27 | harro | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, ] |
| 13-Oct-2025 13:59 | ASN | Updated [Country, Nature, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 14-Oct-2025 09:38 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, ] |
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