What happened
On July 4, 2015, a fatal accident occurred involving a motor paraglider during the 2nd Motor Paragliding Slalom World Championships (2WPSC) in Legnica, Poland. The pilot, an experienced competitor representing the Republic of Lithuania, was performing a flight task designated as 5-6-D2.
After passing the timing gate, the pilot executed a right turn around the first pylon and a subsequent left turn around a second pylon. While attempting a right turn around a third pylon, the right side of the Dudek Paragliders SNAKE 18 wing struck the pylon at an altitude of approximately 10 meters. The impact caused the wing to brake, and the pilot's momentum carried him over the pylon to an altitude of about 15 meters. The pilot then fell to the ground, landing on his back directly onto the Parajet Zenith engine. The impact caused the pilot to bounce and roll onto his front.
The investigation
Investigators reviewed video footage of the flight to reconstruct the sequence of events. The analysis focused on the pilot's maneuvers around the competition pylons. Medical personnel stationed at the event responded to the scene within 20 seconds of the impact to provide emergency care and resuscitation. The pilot was transported to a hospital in critical condition, where he later succumbed to internal injuries.
Findings
- The pilot was performing a maneuver around the second pylon at the limit of a correct execution.
- During the turn around the second pylon, the pilot experienced hesitation and a slight loss of altitude (sink rate).
- This instability caused the pilot to deviate from the planned flight trajectory.
- The pilot failed to initiate a right turn around the third pylon in a timely manner.
- The pilot had very little time to decide to abort the flight task to avoid the obstacle; the decision to continue the flight led to the collision.