What happened
On January 30, 2010, at 12:23 LMT, a glider pilot initiated the third of five planned passenger flights at Nowy Targ (EPNT) aerodrome. The SZD-50-3 Puchacz was towed by a Jak-12M aircraft. After releasing from the tow at an altitude of 500 meters, the pilot performed several basic aerobatic maneuvers before commencing a left circuit and establishing a landing approach on runway 090°.
The glider landed short of the lower boundary, approximately 100 meters from the marker, without completing the flare phase. Upon touchdown, the front of the fuselage struck a frozen unevenness on the aerodrome surface. The impact caused the glider to bounce to a height of approximately 0.5 meters before landing on its nose wheel. The impact resulted in structural damage to the forward fuselage, including damage to the nose wheel cowling, a torn section of the floor, and a delaminated bulkhead in the control stick suspension console. Neither the pilot nor the passenger sustained injuries.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot was operating from the secondary cockpit, which added difficulty due to limited experience in that position. On the day of the accident, meteorological conditions were poor, characterized by a gray winter day with full stratocumulus cloud cover, which obscured ground details and created a blurred horizon. Furthermore, the aerodrome surface was covered in a uniform layer of snow, and the lack of visible runway markings made it difficult to accurately judge altitude, distance, and glide angle.
The pilot had limited experience operating on snow-covered runways, having performed only one such flight in 2009. Additionally, the pilot failed to inspect the runway surface prior to the flight and did not review the available meteorological reports. The investigation also noted that the pilot had not informed the Aeroclub Nowy Targ Training Manager (HT) of the intention to conduct these flights.
Findings
- Improper flight organization was the primary cause of the accident.
- Poor visibility due to overcast skies and a lack of ground reference points on the snow-covered runway hindered the pilot's ability to assess the landing parameters.
- The pilot failed to verify the runway surface conditions or check meteorological updates before takeoff.
- The pilot was performing a passenger flight from the secondary cockpit without sufficient experience in that configuration.
- There was a lack of oversight regarding flight planning, as the Training Manager was not notified of the scheduled passenger flights.