AAIB investigation to DG-300 Elan, G-CKJH
Field landing causing spinal injury, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, 7 July 2022.
Summary:
With the end of the flying day approaching, the pilot of G-CKJH decided to land in a field. The field chosen was uphill with a rough surface which the pilot had not fully appreciated until he was committed to the landing. On the first touchdown, the glider landed heavily and bounced. The pilot felt his neck had been injured in this first touchdown. The glider ended up embedded in a stock fence. The pilot was able to extract himself from the glider but after a few steps he began to lose feeling in his limbs and fell to the ground. Having been discovered by the landowner, he was flown by air ambulance to hospital where scans revealed a fracture in his C7 vertebrae and a large haematoma which was pressing on his spinal cord causing the paralysis. Although the pilot began to recover feeling in his limbs, complications from his injuries and underlying medical conditions lead to his death 20 days after the accident.
Given the experience of the pilot, the choice of field was out of character. However, the position of the sun, the size and colour of other fields and their crops as well as the possibility of dehydration during a warm day may have contributed to the decisions that the pilot made.
Download report: