SAFA Skysailor Magazine

28 SKY SAILOR January | February 2021 Fatalities As we concluded the previous issue’s wrap-up, we’ll conclude this one with reports on two fatal accidents that have recently been closed by the Coroners. On 8 December 2018, Pierre Naville, a visiting French pilot, died when he impacted terrain while flying near Ivanhoe, NSW. This from the AIRS report #942: Pierre was a visiting French national flying in a group of local and international pilots, on a towing expedition, the purpose of which was to set distance records. The pilot had tow-launched approximately four to five hours prior to the accident and was one of a group of eight pilots who launched on that day. At the end of the day, Pierre had not reported in and it was not known if an accident had occurred or there was a problem with his SPOT tracker. All pilots were briefed and prepared for landing in locations away from easy retrieve access. He was prepared for a possible night spent in the open and had done so previously, so there was no undue concern. A retrieve driver went to the last known position and collected pilots along the planned route before proceeding to the planned camping site for that day. Upon arrival at the campsite and meeting with the second retrieve driver and pilots, it was concluded that there was a high possibility that the pilot may have mistakenly flown an incorrect road out of Ivanhoe as he passed overhead. The decision was made to check these roads early the following morning, as it was near 10pm by this time. Pierre was very experienced and well versed in camping out, previously advising of his happiness to do so if required. He was flying with water and an offline maps application, so was well equipped to last a night in comfortable night-time temperatures. Local police were informed of the situation and advised of the intentions for the next day, in readiness for a possible rapid escalation. The police reviewed these and due to the forecast temperatures, the pilot’s age, and the lead time needed to assemble resources in Ivanhoe, elected to act that evening. The group assisted the SAR efforts based in Ivanhoe the following morning. An air search was ordered and commenced as soon as the aircraft arrived in Ivanhoe. The search area based on the last known location, general intended flight direction, and assumptions based on assumed height and potential travel distance inside the 10min location transmission, factoring that an estimated average 4m/s descent rate would have been required if an accident was indeed the cause of the cessation of the SPOT transmissions. The glider was spotted from the air approximately 45 minutes after the air search commenced, with ground verification of the fatality approximately 45 minutes later at around 14:00. There were no witnesses to the accident. The pilot had a high impact landing, possibly consistent with a spiral dive. The pilot’s hands were out of the brake handles, the wing’s lines were twisted and there was no evidence of an attempt to deploy the reserve. At the time of the accident, five other pilots were still in the air – two were approximately 50km ahead, and another two a little further ahead. Other pilots flying in the vicinity not too long prior, had spotted the pilot and later reported good flying conditions. It is known that the pilot was at altitude at that time, very near 4000m amsl. Without any witnesses, it is impossible to provide any specific recommendations as a result of this accident. There are some general comments to be made though. All the sensible precautions were made by this group: carriage of radios, satellite trackers, adequate water, briefings and plans made with retrieve drivers. Pilots need to be aware of the possible factors that may have contributed to this accident: • • Heat – it was a hot day with day time temperatures close to 40ºC and likely very cold at altitude. • • Fatigue – the pilots had been flying for five hours. • • Altitude – at the point in the tracklog where the sudden descent occurred, PIC was at 3996m (13110ft) amsl. All of these, plus other factors in this instance, could place a pilot at risk of experiencing hypoxia. If a pilot in this state Photos: Red Dean Charlton AIRS Safety wrap-up – December 2020