What happened
On June 27, 2004, at EPLL airfield, a flight was conducted to practice deploying a skydiver from a SZD-9bis 1E Bocian glider. This was the first flight of this specific type of mission for both the pilot and the skydiver. Prior to takeoff, an instructor provided briefing on the procedures for exiting the cockpit onto the wing and how the glider would behave with a passenger on the wing.
The flight proceeded normally until the designated deployment phase. The pilot positioned the glider into the wind at a speed of 110 km/h and signaled the skydiver to exit the cockpit. As the skydiver moved toward the wingtip, the pilot noticed the wing beginning to bend downward when the passenger reached approximately two-thirds of the wing's length. The pilot signaled for the skydiver to detach from the aircraft immediately; however, the skydiver continued moving toward the wing extremity.
Upon reaching the wingtip, the pilot was unable to maintain lateral balance and initiated a tight right-hand turn. During this maneuver, the skydiver slipped backward and sideways, bracing against the aileron with the left arm before eventually grabbing the wingtip and detaching from the aircraft. The pilot immediately identified the damage to the wingtip, checked the aircraft's controllability, and deployed the brakes. The glider landed safely at the airfield without further incident, and the skydiver landed safely as well.
The investigation
The PKBWL examined the sequence of events and the pre-flight preparations. The investigation noted that while the skydiver could not recall specific instructions regarding the safe distance for movement along the wing, they believed they were permitted to move as far as the end of the white-painted section of the wing spar.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the skydiver's failure to comply with the pilot's command to detach from the aircraft.
- The movement of the passenger toward the wing extremity caused a loss of lateral balance and structural deformation of the wingtip.