ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 282879
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| Date: | Friday 3 July 1998 |
| Time: | 20:00 |
| Type: |  Schleicher ASK 21 |
| Owner/operator: | Long Mynd Soaring Club |
| Registration: | BGA5260 |
| MSN: | 21818 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Location: | Long Mynd, Church Stretton, Shropshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Long Mynd, Church Stretton, Shropshire |
| Long Mynd, Church Stretton, Shropshire |
Schleicher ASK 21 BGA5260/"FWQ": Minor damage 3 July 1998 at Long Mynd, Church Stretton, Shropshire. The flight and the landing were apparently normal, and the two persons on board were uninjured. However, during the landing, the glider struck a person on the ground with the wingtip and killed her. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation Report, and the following is an extract from that report...
"An evening of air experience flying for a group of 13 people had been arranged by a local gliding club situated on The Long Mynd in Shropshire. The group arrived at the club house early in the evening and were briefed on the forthcoming events by the Instructor-in-charge. Eleven of the group had decided to fly, but two ladies declined the opportunity. Those who were to fly became temporary members of the club. After the briefing the group, less the two ladies, were lead by the instructor in a convoy of cars along a gravel track to the launch point. At the launch point the group were given a further briefing on operations and glider safety. The two ladies, who had walked un-escorted to the launch site along the track, arrived after the briefing.
Throughout the evening the group were flown in the front seat of two gliders on flights each lasting approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The pilot involved in the accident had flown four flights that evening and was on his fifth and last flight. Throughout the evening he had been landing at the south end of the airfield but the pilot decided that his final landing was to be made on the 'Vega Strip', close to the club house, so that at the end of its landing run the glider would be close to the club hangars.
The aero-tow for his final flight was routine, with the glider casting off above the cloud tops but close to a gap in the clouds. After three minutes soaring above cloud the glider descended through the gap and flew for the remainder of its 17 minute flight below the cloud. The pilot was wearing sunlight sensitive prescription glasses and stated that, although the lenses had been affected by the sunlight above the cloud, they had returned to their normal transparency before landing.
The pilot carried out a right hand circuit turning onto finals at 500 feet. As he lined up on the final approach he stated that he saw two people. They seemed 'stationary and not in a dangerous position' in relation to the Vega Strip. He noticed them several times during his landing scan but was not aware of their position at touchdown. The front seat passenger stated that she saw her two friends below on the track but did not mention this to the pilot. She was hoping that her friends would turn to look at the glider so that she could wave but they did not do so. When the glider was on the ground and as it approached the ladies the front seat passenger called to the pilot "Look there are my friends". A few seconds later she felt a 'thump'.
The glider landed beyond the threshold of the Vega Strip aligned in the centre. As it did so the pilot also felt and heard a thump. He thought it had come from the landing gear or had been caused by a stone. When the glider came to a stop he got out to inspect the landing gear and immediately became aware of two ladies on the track, one standing and one lying down. He suddenly realised that the thump he felt had been due to the glider hitting one or both of the ladies. He ran towards them to check the situation and as he approached he realised that one of them had been fatally injured".
=Damage Sustained to airframe=
Per the above AAIB Report "Minor to left wing leading edge 2 feet from the tip"
=AAIB Conclusions & safety Recommendations
Adequate signs and safety measures were in place to inform and protect members of the public walking close to or crossing the gliding site using the public rights-of-way. The signs, albeit in a format which did not conform to British Standard BS 5378, were clear and unambiguous. The lady involved in the accident, who was a member of a group invited to participate in the gliding club's activities, however, was not on a right-of-way at the time of the accident. She had walked along the track adjacent to the 'Vega Strip' several times that evening and believed that, in following this track, she was clear of the glider landing area. She had not been briefed otherwise. The track did not have, and did not need to have, any signs warning of the hazards associated with the gliding activities. The lady had been informed earlier that evening to walk clear of the southern area as that was the landing area in use at the time. She had not been escorted during her excursions and was not escorted by any member of the club at the time of the accident. She had no reason to believe that she was in danger from landing aircraft. Neither she, nor her companion, were aware of the glider's approach prior to the collision.
The glider pilot, although in the rear seat of the cockpit, had a clear view of the landing area and that part of the track ahead of him. The light conditions were such that the ladies were visible from the cockpit, and had been seen by the front seat passenger. The pilot, however, saw two people at some point during the approach in a position he judged to be clear from danger. He was not aware, even after the collision, that the wing of his glider had hit one of the ladies until the landing was complete and he was out of the aircraft.
=Safety recommendation=
98-55 It is recommended that the British Gliding Association (BGA) should publicise the circumstances surrounding this accident and ensure that all UK gliding clubs have or set up adequate policies and procedures that ensure a safe ground environment and where appropriate that they comply with the relevant Health and Safety legislation"
A contemporary local newspaper report ("Birmingham Post 8 October 1998 - see link #2) named the fatality as Mrs Margaret Ostle, aged 68. A BBC report (see link #3) notes that Mrs. Ostle's walking companion was 5 feet 3 inches - three inches shorter than Mrs. Ostle, and the the glider's wing had missed the second rambler by just three inches!
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422ee52ed915d13710001df/dft_avsafety_pdf_502174.pdf
2. Birmingham Post 8 October 1998: https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Horror+as+glider+hit+rambler.-a060695383
3. BBC News 8 October 1998: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/189027.stm
4. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/ask213.htm
5. https://shropshire.gov.uk/bereavement-services/inquests/
6. https://uras.gliderpilot.net/?op=s2&id=142&vt=0
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Sep-2022 14:49 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
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