What happened
On May 15, 2018, at Wrocław-Szymanów (EPWS) airport, a training session for the SPL glider license was underway involving both winch launches and aero-tow operations. During the fourth flight of the day, an Apollo Fox aircraft was performing an aero-tow with an SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider. The glider crew consisted of a student pilot undergoing basic training and an instructor.
As the flight sequence began, the student pilot maintained excessive back pressure on the control column, which hindered the glider's ability to lift off the ground. This resulted in a longer-than-normal takeoff roll, leaving the main wheel and tail skid in contact with the surface for an extended period. Simultaneously, a winch car was retracting a cable on a path that intersected the glider's takeoff trajectory. The crew was not notified via radio that the cable retraction was in progress. Approximately 480 meters into the takeoff roll, the glider's tail skid snagged the tensioned cable. The instructor immediately released the cable, and the glider came to a stop at the edge of runway 14. An inspection revealed that the composite laminate near the steel tail skid fitting had been severed.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight organization, the coordination between the different takeoff methods, and the technical execution of the takeoff roll. The inquiry reviewed radio communications, the state of the airfield (noting patches of uncut grass approximately 0.2 meters high), and the specific training syllabus requirements for the student pilot involved.