Flight History
On 5 August 2018, at the Aleksandrowice airfield near Bielsko-Biała (EPBA), a glider SZD-9 bis 1E Bocian, registration SP-3102, was being launched by winch. The glider was operated by Aeroklub Bielsko-Bialski. At 12:45 local time, the pilot, a 40-year-old glider instructor, was preparing for his fifth flight of the day, with a passenger. During pre-flight checks, he found that the onboard radio battery was dead, so he could not communicate by radio. He nevertheless decided to proceed. After signaling readiness, the winch operator began the tow. Shortly after the glider transitioned to a climb at about 10–15 meters, the winch operator stopped the tow, believing he heard a radio command to stop. The glider continued climbing without tow. The pilot's reaction was delayed; the glider lost airspeed and entered a stall, followed by a left autorotation of about 90 degrees before hitting the ground. The left wing struck first, breaking and absorbing some of the impact.
Injuries
Both the pilot and the passenger were unharmed. Rescue services extricated them from the cockpit and transported them to a hospital for examination, where no injuries were found.
Aircraft Damage
The glider was destroyed. The cockpit was crushed up to the wing line, the left wing was broken, the fuselage truss and wing attachment bolts were damaged, and the tail skid was torn off. No other damage was reported.
Probable Cause
The Polish State Commission for Aircraft Accident Investigation determined that the accident was caused by pilot error, specifically a delayed reaction to the loss of winch tow.