What happened
On July 6, 2013, a 19-year-old pilot operating an SZD-30 Pirat glider departed from Lisie Kąty (EPGI) airfield to perform a scheduled training flight. During the final stage of the flight, the pilot encountered a loss of thermal lift, necessitating a decision to land in an unprepared field.
Initially, the pilot selected a landing site from an altitude of 500 meters and began a landing pattern at approximately 300 meters. Upon encountering a thermal at 250 meters, the pilot attempted to continue circling. However, due to weak lift, the glider was drifted by the wind too far from the original intended field. Consequently, the pilot changed the landing site and direction, opting to land with a tailwind in a field located near the village of Kamionka.
Due to the strong tailwind, the glider failed to stop within the boundaries of the chosen field. The aircraft crossed a local road and came to a halt in vegetation on the opposite side of the road. While the glider sustained damage, the pilot remained uninjured.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation focused on the pilot's decision-making process during the transition from flight to landing and the impact of wind conditions on the aircraft's ground roll.