Accident Overview
On 24 May 2015, at 19:47 local time, an SZD-30 Pirat glider, registration D-1801, operated by Aeroklub Ziemi Jarosławskiej, was destroyed during a training flight at Laszki airfield (EPJL). The flight was a conversion training to the new glider type (laszowanie). The student pilot, a 45-year-old male with 116 glider flights totaling 12 hours 6 minutes, was performing his third winch launch of the day. He was alone in the glider and sustained no injuries.
Sequence of Events
The glider took off behind a winch on runway heading 77°. After lifting off and transitioning to a steep climb at approximately 40 meters height, the winch cable broke. The student pilot reacted with a delay, and the glider continued climbing at a steep angle, rapidly losing speed. The instructor, observing from the ground, radioed commands to push the control stick forward, which the student did forcefully, causing the glider to pitch nose-down and roll left. Further instructions were given to level off and land straight ahead. The student deployed airbrakes and aimed for a pasture ahead, crossing over trees at about 80 km/h. During the flare at about 1 meter, the left wing contacted the ground, causing the glider to yaw 90° and then impact the ground with a traverse. The right wing struck the ground, the fuselage separated from the center section, and the tail broke off as the fuselage rotated 270° about its longitudinal axis. The landing area was a pasture with soft, uneven terrain disturbed by wild boar.
Damage and Injuries
The glider was completely destroyed. The student pilot was not injured. No toxicological tests were performed, but the student stated he was rested and an abstainer.
Cause
The investigation determined the probable cause to be the student pilot's delayed reaction to the loss of speed after the winch cable broke, followed by a significant loss of directional control during speed recovery, and a landing with a traverse due to the wing striking the ground. A contributing circumstance was the student's limited experience.