Glider Incident at Mikłaszewo on 17 June 2013 (SP-3472)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 17 June 2013, an incident involving a glider occurred at Mikłaszewo. The aircraft was identified as a SZD-51-1 Junior. The pilot was a glider pilot, and the investigation was supervised by Maciej Lasek. The investigation was conducted by the user, and the final report was completed on 20 October 2015. No fatalities, serious injuries, or minor injuries were reported; the pilot was uninjured. ## Flight Progression and Circumstances The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight along the route Białystok-Hajnówka-Suwałki, covering a 300 km triangle. The glider was launched by an aircraft and released at an altitude of 500 m in a thermal with an average lift of approximately 1.5 m/s. As the flight progressed, thermal conditions deteriorated near the locality of Odrynki in the Narew river valley. At an altitude of about 500 m, the pilot selected a recently mown field with collected hay for landing. The field had a pole and a tree located at one-quarter of its length and one-third of its width from the windward side. The approach was made into the wind on the wider part of the field. ## Collision and Damage During the final phase of the landing roll, the pilot noticed a wooden post that had not been visible during earlier field inspections. The post was 1.2 m high and 8 cm x 8 cm in cross-section. The pilot attempted to avoid it by raising the left wing using the ailerons, but the wingtip collided with the post. This impact damaged the leading edge of the wing. The glider came to a stop approximately 15 m beyond the obstacle. ## Cause and Safety Recommendations The cause of the incident was determined to be a collision during the landing roll with an obstacle that was not visible when the landing field was selected. No preventive measures were applied, and the commission did not formulate any safety recommendations.