What happened
On May 10, 2016, at 13:58 LMT, an SZD 36A Cobra 15 glider, registration SP-3093, departed from the Łososin Dolny airfield (EPNL) for a local thermal flight. The flight was part of a pilot's initial training/checkout process on this specific aircraft type. Due to the pilot's lack of experience with the new model, an instructor had instructed the pilot not to stray too far from the airfield.
Weather conditions were favorable, with cloud bases at 2,200 m and winds from 120° at 27–37 km/h. The pilot was flying on the western side of the airfield under Cumulus clouds. As thermal lift began to dissipate in the afternoon, the pilot determined that returning to the airfield was not possible and decided to perform an off-field landing in a nearby field near Słupnice. During the landing sequence, the pilot maintained too much altitude (approximately 2 m) before the final descent, resulting in a stall and a heavy landing.
The impact caused damage to the forward wing-stay pin and its associated clevis.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation focused on the pilot's flight path and the execution of the landing maneuver. The investigation established that the pilot had ventured outside the safe approach cone, making a return to the airfield impossible once the thermals faded. The investigators also reviewed the instructor's oversight and the pilot's adherence to the flight instructions provided for the checkout flight.
Findings
- The pilot flew too far from the airfield, leaving no margin for error once thermal lift disappeared.
- The pilot performed the landing flare at an excessively high altitude, which led to the stall and subsequent impact.
- The pilot was flying on the leeward side of the airfield rather than the windward side, which is the preferred practice for local thermal flights.
- The pilot was performing their first off-field landing in this aircraft type.