What happened
On July 16, 2017, at approximately 11:30 LMT, an Evektor SportStar RTC operated by Aeroklub Gdański was performing a flight from Pruszcz Gdański (EPPR) to Kikity (EPKI). Following a successful landing at Kikity Airport, the pilot taxied off the runway to allow a gyroplane awaiting takeoff to proceed. After the gyroplane passed, the pilot taxied back onto the runway to proceed toward the parking area located near the hangar.
During this taxiing maneuver, the aircraft crossed an area of the airfield that had been mowed similarly to the runway surface. The pilot encountered a local depression in the ground that was not visible from the cockpit. As the nose gear entered this depression, the sudden change in aircraft attitude caused the propeller blades to strike the ground, resulting in damage to the propeller.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the operator, established the sequence of events leading to the propeller strike. The examination focused on the taxiing path and the condition of the airfield surface outside the active runway. It was determined that the terrain irregularity was obscured from the pilot's line of sight due to the aircraft's position and the nature of the ground depression.