Summary
On 1 August 2012, at approximately 16:00 local time, a serious incident occurred at Szymanów airfield (EPWS) involving a glider operated by Aeroklub Wrocławski. The aircraft, an SZD-9bis Bocian 1E with registration SP-2797, was being flown by a student pilot under the supervision of an instructor. The glider was damaged during the landing phase, but the pilot reported no injuries.
Sequence of Events
On the day of the incident, training flights using a winch launch system began at 08:00 LMT. The instructor, a 50-year-old male, conducted a pre-flight briefing covering traffic conditions and weather. The student pilot, a 27-year-old male, had performed three flights on task AI 6, four on AI 7, and one solo flight on AI 8 earlier that day. At 15:50, he launched for his second solo flight of the day. The takeoff and initial climb were normal. During the steep climb phase, the instructor noted the glider was pitched too high and radioed a correction, which the student promptly executed.
The release and flight to the third turn were normal. However, the student delayed the third turn, staying too far from the airfield, and only turned after the instructor's radio intervention. The fourth turn and approach were executed correctly. After passing the flare point, the student abruptly pulled the glider up to about 5 meters, leveled off, then descended again. At approximately 2 meters above ground, he once more pitched up, stopped the motion, and began descending. The glider lost speed. The instructor radioed to retract the spoilers and stabilize. The student did not comply and continued descending, resulting in a hard touchdown on the main wheel. He then pitched up a third time, and the glider rose sharply to about 45° nose-up with the tail about 1 meter high. It then stalled and struck the ground in a right bank, sliding to a stop after several meters. The entire landing sequence covered about 300 meters.
Investigation Findings
The investigation was conducted by the operator's commission. The student pilot had completed theoretical training and held a valid Class 2 medical certificate. His total flight time was 5 hours 16 minutes, all within the previous 90 days, with 36 minutes (9 flights) in the last 24 hours. The supervising instructor was a Class 2 glider instructor with 410 hours total time (180 hours instructional).
Causes and Contributing Factors
The investigation identified two causes: 1. An error in landing technique, specifically an energetic pull on the control stick at flare height, which led to oscillations in the flight path and a hard touchdown on the main wheel. After another pitch-up, the glider stalled and impacted the ground with a bank. 2. The student pilot's lack of response during landing to the command given by radio by the supervising instructor.
A contributing circumstance was the student pilot's unskilled correction of errors during landing, attributed to his low experience level.
Preventive Actions
Following the incident, the operator decided to remove the student from practical training due to uncontrolled actions and strong emotional reactions during non-standard situations. They also recommended discussing abnormal flight states and appropriate responses, emphasizing the importance of remaining calm and avoiding abrupt, unsafe control inputs. No safety recommendations were formulated by the investigation commission.