What happened
On June 18, 2017, a SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider was performing a landing on the grass runway 27R at Mielec (EPML) aerodrome. Upon touchdown, the rear skid of the aircraft struck a concrete takeoff field marker. The impact caused significant structural damage to the aircraft, specifically affecting the rudder, the rudder mounting, the vertical stabilizer, and the horizontal stabilizer along with its attachment points.
Following the impact, the glider continued its landing roll without further complications. Meteorological conditions at the time of the incident were not a contributing factor to the event.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight parameters during the final approach and the landing sequence. The investigation established that the aircraft's speed and the pilot's control inputs during the flare phase were the primary factors leading to the strike on the concrete marker.