Today a glider collided midair with an ultra light aircraft near Koblenz in Germany.
Both aircraft came down carried by the parachute of the Ultra Light 
All three occupants survived with minor injuries.
Incredible
Quite extraordinary.
‘Lucky day’ must be the understatement of the week here! Anyway, goes to show the value of BRS.
Happened Thursday I believe.
During a hike in the Oakland hills in 2000 I met 3 people, 2 men and one woman with whom I started talking. At some point she told me she had been in a plane crash and had broken a great number of bones. The crash had taken place at Catalina Island, on final for runway 22. They had encountered a downdraft and undeshot, thereby ending up in that cliff. I believe she had been the pilot.
Since then I have had this somewhat irrational fear of Catalina Island, although it has not prevented me from landing there.
I flew out to Catalina yesterday (a day after the crash). It’s a slightly tricky airport – on top of a cliff, rwy upslope and always a rotor on the 22 approach end. It’s also a lot narrower than most runways around SoCal, so the visual picture is pretty unusual. Had a quick look at the wx on the accident day and I’m not sure I would have taken a C172 with 3 POB into there – when they ‘landed’ the wx looked like that: METAR KAVX 020051Z AUTO 25009G21KT
Most likely flew straight into the rotor and didn’t have the power to outclimb it. Easy thing to do there….. Anyway, glad they all walked away !!
Aviathor wrote:
Since then I have had this somewhat irrational fear of Catalina Island, although it has not prevented me from landing there.
The trick is to come in high and steep to get past the rotor and then to bleed of speed and flare while flying uphill along the slope. Takes a bit getting used to, as the visual is very different from a normal approach.
Indeed an interesting destination.
I remember flying there and was tricked by this upslope that runs until about halfway the runway so then you get the impression that it all ends there. Plenty of skidmarks at that point ;)
But, to calm the nerves, had an very exquisite buffalo burger. And bought a coffee mug that says ’ landing on Catalina relaxes me’. The top side of the mug has teeth marks on it ;)
But the real reason why i bought that mug was that my wife is called Catalina. Hope this post is not labelled as too sexist.
My understanding is that they ran off the end, having attempted to land on 04. That actually makes it a lot luckier because I also am led to believe the second drop goes a very long way….
BeechBaby wrote:
My understanding is that they ran off the end, having attempted to land on 04.
Nope, undershoot, at least that’s what I’ve been told. Landing on 04 with the above METAR would be serious madness !!! Mind you, because of the slope, one tends to take off on 04 up to about a 6knt tailwind component.
