Accident Details
On June 5, 2011, at 12:01 local time, a tow plane and glider departed from runway 17 at airfield EPRP. The tow aircraft was a PZL-101 Gawron, and the glider was an SZD-42-2 Jantar 2B. The glider pilot intended to be towed to thermal lift. The tow proceeded normally until approximately 100 meters above the airfield, when the tow pilot made a left turn, followed by a second left turn. According to the glider pilot, there was significant turbulence and periods of strong sink, causing the tow combination to experience insufficient climb or even descent. The glider pilot decided to release after the second turn, about 1 kilometer from the airfield boundary, to attempt a downwind landing on the airfield. Prior to release, he had tightened the tow line by partially opening the airbrakes.
After release, the glider pilot intended to continue toward the airfield, but due to nervousness, he did not notice that the airbrakes remained open. This significantly reduced the glider's glide performance. Realizing he could not reach the airfield, he chose to land in a meadow adjacent to it. During the landing, the right wingtip struck a fruit tree, causing the glider to yaw approximately 110 degrees and rotate. Upon ground impact, the main landing gear collapsed. Inspection revealed a hole about 20 centimeters deep in the right wingtip from the tree strike, a bent aileron hinge on the right wing, and cracks in the skin of the right horizontal stabilizer.
Pilot Information
The glider pilot was a 45-year-old male with a total flight time of 575 hours and 28 minutes, including 523 hours and 31 minutes as pilot-in-command. In the current flying season, he had completed 3 flights totaling 6 hours and 31 minutes prior to the accident. He held a valid glider pilot license and medical certificate, with ratings for nine glider types, including the SZD-42 Jantar standard since 2007. This was his second flight on the SZD-42-2 Jantar 2B; his previous flight, on May 21, 2011, lasted 3 hours and 50 minutes. The tow pilot had approximately 30 hours of towing experience on the PZL-101 type.
Environmental and Aircraft Conditions
The glider was flown without water ballast. The pilot did not retract the landing gear after takeoff, planning to do so after release. The temperature was about 26°C, and the wind was 3–4 m/s. The tow speed was approximately 120 km/h. The tug aircraft was fully fueled.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined the probable cause was the pilot's oversight of the unsecured airbrakes, which extended after release and significantly degraded the glider's aerodynamic performance, necessitating a landing in unsuitable terrain. A contributing circumstance was the weak climb rate of the tow plane (approximately 1 m/s) combined with strong turbulence, which caused temporary loss of climb or even descent, influencing the pilot's decision to release early.