What happened
On August 1, 2012, a student pilot was conducting winch-assisted flight training at the Szymanów aerodrome (EPWS) under the supervision of a flight instructor. During the student's second solo flight of the day in an SZD-9bis Bocian 1E (registration SP-2797), the aircraft initially performed correctly during takeoff and the climb phase. However, during the landing approach, the student pilot began executing erratic maneuvers. After passing the lower boundary, the pilot abruptly pulled the glider upward to an altitude of approximately 5 meters, leveled off, and then descended. At roughly 2 meters above the ground, the pilot again pulled the aircraft upward, causing the glider to lose airspeed.
Despite radio instructions from the supervising instructor to retract the brakes and stabilize the flight, the student pilot failed to comply. The glider touched down on its main wheel with a high sink rate. Following a third attempt to pull the aircraft up, the glider entered a steep climb at a 45-degree angle with the tail only about 1 meter above the ground. The aircraft then entered an uncontrolled descent, striking the ground with a rightward traverse. The incident, which occurred at 16:00 LMT, resulted in no injuries to the pilot, though the aircraft sustained significant damage.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the user's accident investigation commission, examined the flight sequence, the pilot's experience, and the instructor's oversight. The investigation noted that the student pilot had completed theoretical training and held a valid Class 2 medical certificate, with a total flight time of 5 hours and 16 minutes. The instructor was an experienced Class 2 instructor with 410 total flight hours.
Findings
- The primary cause was incorrect landing technique, specifically the aggressive pulling of the control stick during the flare phase, which created an unstable flight profile and led to a hard touchdown.
- The student pilot failed to respond to radio commands issued by the supervising instructor during the critical phases of the landing.
- A contributing factor was the student's lack of experience, which led to the improper correction of flight errors during the landing sequence.
Safety action
Following the incident, the operator took the following actions:
- The student pilot was removed from practical training due to uncontrolled actions and excessive emotional reactions during non-standard flight situations.
- The instructor was advised to review improper flight states with students and to emphasize the importance of maintaining composure and avoiding abrupt control inputs.