Fatal accident involving Discus B, G-DJMD and Standard Cirrus, G-DCTB, Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield, Northamptonshire, 25 May 2024
Having completed their flying tasks in a local club competition, gliders G-DJMD and G-DCTB returned to Hinton-in-the-Hedges airfield, and both aircraft manoeuvred to the north-east of the airfield in preparation for an approach to land.
The competition required pilots to report their position on the radio when downwind and when on final, but neither pilot was heard to do so, meaning a critical opportunity to alter the outcome was missed, and they remained unaware of each other’s presence until they collided on short final.
The pilot of G-DCTB suffered serious injuries. The pilot of G-DJMD was struck by G-DCTB’s wingtip during the collision and the glider then struck the ground in an inverted attitude. The pilot of G-DJMD suffered fatal injuries.
The investigation identified the following causal factor related to the collision:
The investigation made the following findings:
Safety action was taken by: