Collision with terrain involving ASH-25E glider VH-GOA, near Bathurst, NSW on 21 January 2018

This animation shows how Schleicher ASH-25E (AMT Jet) experimental powered glider, registered VH-GOA (GOA), launched from the Bathurst Soaring Club facilities (Piper’s Field) New South Wales and collided with terrain.
Eight minutes into the flight, the glider had climbed to about 2,200 ft in a thermal. Shortly after, it abruptly started to descend and track back towards the airfield. Witnesses saw smoke or liquid trailing from the glider and flames in the area behind the cockpit.
At about 1300, when at about 1,100 ft AGL, the pilot jettisoned the front-seat canopy but did not exit the glider. Fire engulfed more of the rapidly descending aircraft’s fuselage before it collided with the ground in a nose-down attitude. The pilot was fatally injured, and the aircraft was destroyed.
Read the final report: www.atsb.gov.a...