What happened
On August 17, 2017, at approximately 14:30 LMT, a student pilot was conducting a solo training flight at the Masłów aerodrome (EPKA). The flight was part of a training syllabus involving winch-assisted takeoffs and specifically focused on practicing stall turns (esowanie). The aircraft, an SZD-9 Bocian 1E with registration SP-2662, operated by Aeroklub Kielecki, was performing maneuvers on the approach to runway 29R.
During the maneuver, the student pilot initiated the first stall turn in the wrong direction, turning away from the aerodrome. Despite radio instructions from an instructor to return to a straight course, the student continued the sequence of turns. During a subsequent turn, the pilot maintained a high pitch angle, with the nose of the glider positioned above the horizon. As the aircraft turned back toward the aerodrome, the instructor issued a command to release back pressure on the control stick to prevent a potential spin.
The student pilot responded to this command with a delay. While the aircraft was at a heading of approximately 200 degrees, the pilot entered a steep right turn. During this maneuver, the right wingtip struck the top of a tree. This impact caused the glider to rotate violently, striking the ground with the right wingtip before the cockpit impacted the stubble field. The aircraft underwent a 180-degree rotation around its vertical axis before coming to a stop. The aircraft sustained catastrophic damage, including the total destruction of the cockpit and nose, damage to both wings, and a broken fuselage.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by Aeroklub Kielecki, examined the flight sequence, the student's adherence to instructor commands, and the flight path relative to obstacles. The investigation established that the student pilot had completed several instructor-led flights earlier that day before attempting the solo maneuver. The investigation also reviewed the flight conditions, which were VFR in VMC with no contributing weather factors.