Flight History
On 28 October 2013, preparations for training and practice flights began at Bezmiechowa airfield around 09:00 local time. Gliders were removed from hangars, pre-flight inspections were completed, and flight documentation was signed. The instructor in charge obtained a weather report. Initially, wind speed was too low for slope soaring, so training gravity starts were conducted. Around 11:00, wind speed increased to approximately 8–10 m/s, and slope soaring flights commenced. The first glider, a Pirat, launched and established contact with slope lift without issue. Subsequently, a Jantar STD 2 and a Bocian launched.
Before the accident flight, the instructor conducted a ground briefing with the pilot of the SZD-30 Pirat (registration SP-3759). This was to be a solo flight completing slope soaring training according to task AVI, exercise 2. At about 12:00, the pilot occupied the cockpit, checked radio communication, and reported ready for launch. The instructor requested another pilot to assist in pushing the glider along the launch path while he released the wing. The gravity launch proceeded without irregularities; the glider lifted off well before the end of the launch path. After reaching optimal speed, the pilot executed a right turn toward the west.
Following a short flight along the slope, the pilot turned left away from the slope, changing direction to east but flying convergingly toward the slope on his left. Observing that the glider was dangerously close to the slope and the pilot was not turning into the valley, the instructor twice transmitted a warning via radio: "Mariusz, you are too close to the slope." The pilot reacted with delay, after the second warning, slightly deviating from the slope. However, the correction was insufficient, and the glider continued approaching the forest edge on the east side of the airfield at an altitude lower than the trees. The instructor then three times transmitted the command "right, right, right." The pilot began a right turn with delay and with significant bank, as the distance to the forest was very small. When the glider was heading south, the instructor commanded "Pirat, level out" intending for the glider to fly into the valley, but the pilot did not respond. Continuing the turn at low altitude over a grove, the pilot increased the bank further. The glider struck the top of a single poplar tree protruding above the canopy of other trees in the grove with its right wing. Subsequently, in a rapid roll configuration and almost vertical attitude, it impacted the grassy slope.
The instructor and the assisting pilot ran to the crash site. They saw the destroyed glider with a completely broken cockpit and the pilot showing no signs of life. The instructor immediately called emergency services via 112. A helicopter from the Polish Medical Air Rescue arrived; the rescue team doctor pronounced the pilot dead. Police and fire services secured the scene. A representative of the State Commission on Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL) arrived about an hour later.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The glider was completely destroyed; structural elements were concentrated in a small area due to the near-vertical impact.
Probable Causes
The PKBWL determined the following probable causes of the accident:
- Excessive proximity of the glider to the slope and forest edge, and delayed pilot reaction to the instructor's radio commands.
- Improper attention distribution during a high-bank turn at critically low altitude over the slope, leading to the glider striking a tree top and subsequent ground impact.