Accident
On 12 July 2015 at 15:52 local time, a glider operated by Aeroklub "ORLĄT" crashed in Cezaryn near Dęblin, Poland. The aircraft, a SZD-48 Jantar Std 2 with registration SP-3117, sustained damage including a broken forward fuselage, cracked tail boom, and damage to the leading edge of the right wing. The pilot, a 45-year-old male with a glider pilot license and valid medical certificate, was seriously injured.
Flight History
The pilot departed from Dęblin airfield (EPDE) at 12:59 for a thermal and training flight. For over two hours, the flight progressed over forested areas, with the pilot gaining altitude in strong thermals. Around 15:30, thermal activity weakened, but the pilot continued to search for strong lift, ignoring weaker ones, according to the investigation.
Sequence of Events
At approximately 600 meters altitude, the pilot turned toward Nowa Dąbia, where he had previously found strong lift. At 400 meters, realizing he would not reach that area, he turned back toward Dęblin. At 300 meters, he determined he could not reach the airfield but instead of selecting a suitable field for an off-airport landing, he continued toward forests to the south. The commission noted that under stress, the pilot began to act nervously.
At about 200 meters, encountering weak and unstable thermals, he attempted to circle but drifted out of the thermal. Despite several suitable fields for landing, he again turned south. At 80 meters, he made two circles to center a weak thermal, then another at 50 meters, during which the glider stalled and entered autorotation. The pilot recovered. He then turned south over a field measuring 460 x 150 meters, which was suitable for landing, but at 37 meters he executed a sharp 180° right turn toward the forest. During this turn, the glider stalled and entered autorotation again, but he recovered. At 18 meters, he performed another 180° left turn, and during this turn, the glider struck the ground.
Analysis
The commission determined that the pilot, upon seeing power lines crossing the field mid-length, believed he did not have enough space to land beyond the wires and decided to execute two 180° turns to land before the wires. During the second turn at 18 meters, to avoid the left wing striking the ground, the pilot reduced bank angle, causing a large sideslip. This led to another stall and collision with the ground in the early stage of a spin, evidenced by the steep impact angle and rotation after impact.
Probable Cause
pilot error consisting of making the decision to land in an open field too late