Incident Overview
On 30 July 2015, at approximately 06:00 local time, a training flight involving a glider instructor and a student pilot at Warsaw-Babice Airport (EPBC) experienced a towline failure during a winch launch. The glider, an SZD-50-3 Puchacz, was being launched from the grass runway on direction 28. The launch proceeded normally until the final phase of the tow, when the winch cable broke. The glider pilot immediately released the cable after stabilizing the airspeed.
Circumstances
The cable’s parachute deployed at an altitude of about 300 meters and was carried by the wind toward buildings north of the grass runway. The wind was measured at 5–8 meters per second from 220–240 degrees (southwest). The cable and parachute fell onto hangars numbers 4 and 5, a fence separating the Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (Air Rescue) area from Heli Invest, and near two Cessna aircraft parked nearby. A helicopter pilot of the Air Rescue service, while preparing a helicopter for duty that morning, observed the cable landing on the hangar roof where the helicopter was housed. The winch operator drove to the location, retrieved the cable, and after repairs, winch operations resumed. No injuries were reported.
Cause
The stated cause of the incident was strong wind from the southwest, which carried the parachute with the winch cable onto the hangars and apron of the Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (Air Rescue).
Aftermath
The glider instructor held a valid SPL license and medical certificate. His total flight time was 296 hours 32 minutes, with 24 hours on the SZD-50-3 Puchacz type. The student pilot was not injured. The glider had accumulated 4169 hours 36 minutes and 20,224 flights since new.
Preventive Actions
Following the incident, representatives of the airport management, the Air Rescue safety manager, and the Warsaw Aeroclub director agreed on new procedures. Before starting the HEMS helicopter engine, the pilot will contact the flight director. Winch launches will be suspended during helicopter engine start and departure, as well as during helicopter approach and landing. For southerly winds, launches will be suspended until the rotor stops. No safety recommendations were issued by the commission.