A SOLO pilot who died in a fiery glider crash near Bathurst in January 2018 had jettisoned the canopy but was not able to parachute from the stricken craft, a report into the crash has found.
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The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its report on Tuesday following a long investigation into the crash of a Schleicher ASH-25E experimental powered glider near Piper's Airfield, 13 kilometres north of Bathurst, on January 21, 2018.
It found the pilot, 75-year-old Paul Mander, was attempting to return to the airfield after a fire ignited in the glider before it crashed heavily about 1pm.
The report said Mr Mander was wearing a parachute at the time of the crash but after jettisoning the canopy was unable to exit, "possibly due to incapacitation".
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Witnesses said they saw smoke and flames coming from the glider before it crashed. However, investigators were unable to determine what started the fire.
"The glider caught fire in-flight, with flames seen near the engine housing," the report said.
"However, due to the severe post-impact fire damage, the ignition source of the fire could not be determined.
"The pilot was probably attempting to return the burning glider to the airfield when it departed controlled flight and collided with terrain.
"The loss of control was probably due to the effects of fire incapacitating the pilot and/or affecting the aircraft's flight controls."
The ATSB has recommended firewalls be installed in gliders to protect pilots in an emergency.
"Although not an airworthiness requirement, pilots of powered experimental gliders are strongly encouraged to install fire protection between themselves and the engine housing," the report states.
"The ability to exit a glider relies on avoiding incapacitation that can happen quickly in the event of in-flight fires."
The ATSB found Mr Mander was an experienced pilot with between 8000 and 11,000 gliding hours at the time of the crash.
ATSB explanation of the crash ...
Investigators could not determine if he was likely to be fatigued on the day of the crash, however, they did note a number of possible "pre-flight maintenance issues" with the glider.
According to the report, the pilot was observed performing ground testing on the glider's engines on the day before the crash.
A video was taken of the tests and, according to the report, significant observations included:
- Fuel pouring out of the lower engine on lowering.
- Significant engine flaming.
- White smoke billowing from the lower engine.
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