Incident Overview
On August 6, 2015, a Cessna 152 (registration SP-CKP) operated by Targor Flight Club was involved in an incident at Grądy EPGY. The pilot, a 17-year-old tourist pilot, had planned a navigation training flight from Grądy to Olsztyn and back. The aircraft had a single occupant (the pilot) with no injuries reported. The operator’s internal commission investigated the incident.
Flight Details
The pilot departed EPGY at 17:26 LMT, intending to fly to Olsztyn (EPOD), have a short stop, and return before 20:30 LMT to comply with day VFR requirements. Sunset was at 20:18 LMT, with legal daylight ending at 20:48 LMT. The outbound leg took 59 minutes. At Olsztyn, the pilot spontaneously took a passenger for a local traffic circuit without considering aircraft performance or density altitude. After landing, the passenger left. The pilot then departed EPOD at 20:12 LMT, later than planned, making it impossible to reach EPGY before the end of daylight. During the return flight, the pilot did not contact FIS Olsztyn. At EPGY, the chief instructor and director maintained radio contact and considered the clear summer evening conditions sufficient for a safe landing without runway lights. The landing was performed correctly.
Findings
The investigation determined that the pilot did not properly prepare for the flight. Specifically, he failed to analyze flight time, did not calculate weight and balance with the passenger, and did not account for density altitude at EPOD. The pilot also conducted the first turn after takeoff too low to avoid trees and flew part of the circuit at an improper altitude. After the passenger disembarked, an emotional conversation with the chief instructor led the pilot to depart without adequate preflight planning, including time analysis for the return.
Causes
The probable cause of the incident was improper preparation for the flight by the pilot both in the takeoff phase with a passenger and in the navigation phase.
Contributing Factors
Several factors contributed to the incident: lack of proper flight time analysis; failure to perform weight and balance calculations and account for density altitude; the pilot’s young age (17) leading to emotion-based decisions; low experience (license held less than a month); and inability to foresee consequences of non-compliance with regulations.
Preventive Actions
The operator recommended the pilot undergo additional navigation training near the end of the day with precise landing timing, night VFR training in complete darkness, a test on FIR Warsaw regulations, and enhanced theoretical instruction on aviation law. The pilot was placed under special supervision for six months, including mandatory pre-flight weight and balance checks and navigation plan filing. Systemic suggestions included increased oversight of inexperienced and very young pilots even after licensure.