Accident
On July 5, 2016, a glider accident occurred near Radomsko, Poland. The aircraft, an SZD-48 Jantar Std 2 with registration SP-3686, was privately owned and operated. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, died in the accident.
Flight
The pilot departed from Rudniki airfield (EPRU) to participate in a competition of the SMP Club Class. During the pre-competition briefing, the meteorologist informed that approaching cirrus clouds could quickly cover the sky, damping thermal lift. After reaching sufficient altitude, the pilot crossed the start line and proceeded on the course. The flight to the first area was uneventful. However, while approaching the second area, thermal lift weakened and became increasingly rare. The glider entered the second zone approximately 15 km deep and, after climbing to 1600 m AGL in a thermal, turned toward the finish. Conditions deteriorated rapidly as cirrus clouds appeared. Altitude decreased, and the pilot could not find any lift, so he began looking for a suitable field for an off-field landing.
Landing
Near Radomsko, at an altitude of 450–500 m, the pilot found weak lift and climbed to 800 m. He then noticed a small cumulus cloud forming over Radomsko and flew toward it, but found no lift. Circling at about 500 m, he again searched for a suitable landing area and spotted a long mowed grass strip between four industrial halls, which he judged ideal. While flying along the chosen field at 220 m, he saw no obstacles. He approached with a light tailwind from over a road. At 20 m on final, he noticed a terrain step and a green-painted net fence about halfway across the field, not visible from above. With no other option, he flew over the fence and landed on a shorter section of the field that ended with a tall fence.
Damage
Despite using the wheel brake and full airbrakes, the glider decelerated too slowly. The pilot attempted to shorten the rollout by pushing the control stick forward to press the nose down and making a left ground loop. The glider struck the fence at the end of the second field, broke through one section, bent three more, and slid along the fence netting while rotating 150° to the left before stopping. The accident damaged the left and right wings, the lower brake plate of the left wing, the fuselage (cracked at the seam near the baggage hatch and in the tail boom area near the vertical stabilizer on the right side), the rudder attachment, and the canopy fairing.
Investigation
The investigation, conducted by the Polish State Commission for Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL), determined the probable cause to be the selection of inappropriate terrain for an off-field landing. No preventive actions or recommendations were issued. The Commission commented that planning an off-field landing in an industrial area involves a high probability of encountering ground obstacles poorly visible from the air.