Incident Overview
On 26 April 2015, at 12:52 LMT, a glider SZD-50.3 Puchacz departed from EP Radom Piastów airfield for an annual pilot proficiency check flight. The crew consisted of an instructor (total flight time 2,530 hours) and a pilot holding a glider pilot license (total flight time 88 hours). The takeoff, climb, release, and circuit pattern were executed normally.
Landing and Damage
After turning onto final approach, the pilot opened the airbrakes and continued the approach, correcting altitude until the flare, where the pilot began to gradually close the airbrakes. The glider touched down approximately 50 meters before the lower limit marker, with a slight traverse. At touchdown, the instructor felt the main landing gear enter a rut hidden by overgrown grass, causing a loss of speed and a rapid lowering of the nose wheel. The landing roll continued normally, and the glider stopped about 100 meters from the touchdown point, between the lower limit marker and the letter marker.
After the glider was pulled off the landing strip, a peeled cover was found at the attachment point of the right balancing weight. The glider was grounded and handed to a mechanic for inspection following a hard landing. Subsequent disassembly revealed a crack in the half-frame near the control stick. The glider was classified as requiring repair.
Weather Conditions
Weather conditions did not influence the event. Wind was from 270° at 5 knots.
Cause and Contributing Factors
The accident investigation determined the cause to be a landing before the lower limit with a slight traverse, which, combined with terrain unevenness, generated a force that cracked the half-frame in the vicinity of the control stick. A contributing factor was the instructor's delayed reaction to errors committed by the pilot under training.
Preventive Measures and Recommendations
After the incident, the event was discussed during a post-flight briefing. No safety recommendations were issued by the investigating commission.