Background
On 2 May 2018, a pilot flying a SZD-48-2 Jantar STD 2 glider (sometimes referred to as SZD-48-1 in the narrative) departed from Łososina airfield near Nowy Sącz (EPNL) to participate in a regional gliding competition. The flight was a cross-country polygon with three turnpoints. The pilot left the airfield at 14:14 LMT at an altitude of 950 m QFE.
Incident
While in the area of Nowy Sącz, the pilot climbed in a weak thermal to approximately 1050 m and then made a jump southeast toward the village of Nawojowa. In the vicinity of Nawojowa, the pilot encountered no thermals. At an altitude of 500 m, the pilot selected a field for a potential landing and continued to search for lift. At 300 m, the decision was made to perform an off-field landing. The pilot correctly executed an approach into the slope. Touchdown occurred with a tailwind from the side (4-5 m/s) at the planned spot. During the landing roll, the pilot noticed a slight rise in the terrain that had not been visible from the air. The glider struck the unevenness at a speed of about 45-50 km/h, causing the glider to bounce and the left wing to catch the ground. This resulted in a ground loop, during which the main landing gear was damaged, the canopy cracked, and the rudder trim tab separated.
Investigation
No injuries were reported. The investigation was conducted by the operator under the supervision of Wojciech Misiak. The stated cause of the incident was the wing catching the ground during an off-field landing. Contributing circumstances included landing with a tailwind and uneven terrain that was impossible to detect from the air. As a preventive action, the incident was discussed with pilots, the causes were analyzed, and pilots were advised to exercise particular caution when selecting off-field landing sites and when landing in mountainous terrain. The commission issued no safety recommendations.