It happened during a loop over Gera. The two pilots, a 43-year-old and a 72-year-old, didn’t stand a chance.
Police and firefighters at the scene of the accident.
Both pilots died when two motorized aerobatic planes crashed over Gera in the eastern German state of Thuringia on Saturday. Two machines had collided in the air while training a joint formation aerobatics. The two planes got caught in each other, as can be seen in an eyewitness video of the accident on Sunday.
The two pilots of the two Zlin 526 AFS aerobatic aircraft were considered very experienced and had appeared together at air shows for many years. Both flew Zlin 526 AFS aircraft. It is a proven metal single-seat aerobatic aircraft. It was built by the Czech aircraft manufacturer Zlin from 1971 to the mid-1970s. The low-wing aircraft with a 180 hp in-line engine has been proven and robust for decades. Examples of this type or the two-seater sister model are also popular with Swiss pilots.
Parachutes not deployed
Both pilots practiced formation aerobatics together on Saturday. In the video of the accident it can be seen that the machines initially flew a common loop. At the apex of this aerobatic maneuver, one of the two Zlin broke from the formation and seconds later collided with the second aircraft. The two planes got stuck and crash, wedged into each other, in a spiral.
Traditionally, pilots have a parachute strapped on when they engage in aerobatics, whether in gliders or powered aircraft. In an emergency, the pilot would first open or jettison the canopy, depending on the type of aircraft. He then has to unbuckle his seat belt and get out of the cockpit as quickly as possible. After exiting the aircraft, the parachute opens only after the pilot manually pulls a handle.
Apparently that was no longer possible with the accident in Gera. Because the two Zlin were probably so wedged together that an exit was no longer an option for either pilot. However, it is also conceivable that the pilots’ ability to act was already significantly impaired as a result of the collision.
Accident is being investigated
Practicing aerobatic maneuvers, including in formation, is just as legal in Germany as it is in Switzerland. However, requirements regarding the minimum flight altitude and the airspace suitable for this must be observed. Experts from the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation in Braunschweig, the German counterpart to the Swiss Safety Investigation Board (Sust), are now examining the two burnt-out wrecks to find a possible cause of the accident. In addition, the two pilots, one aged 43 and the other aged 72, are believed to be undergoing post-mortem examinations to determine if either of them had a medical cause that caused the collision. Because aerobatics is associated with extremely great physical strain, since the pilots have to endure high g-forces during the flight maneuvers. Depending on the acrobatic figure, the flyers are pressed into the seat with several times their own body weight.