Incident Overview
On 19 August 2018, a glider accident occurred at the Aeroklub Pomorski airfield in Toruń (EPTO). The aircraft involved was a SZD-51-1 Junior glider, registration SP-3420. The pilot, a 30-year-old female student with a total flight time of 33 hours and 48 minutes, was conducting flights as part of training for a new type of launch.
Sequence of Events
Earlier that day, the student completed four flights behind a tow plane as part of familiarization. After a break of approximately one hour, she occupied the glider cockpit, where the instructor discussed the glider's flight characteristics. Before transitioning to the Junior, she performed two check flights using a winch launch in a SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider, the second of which was solo and lasted 4 minutes.
She then flew the SZD-51-1 Junior for the first time, receiving feedback from the instructor, who noted overly aggressive use of the airbrakes during the landing approach. At 16:23 local time, she initiated another takeoff. The flight proceeded normally until the landing flare, during which excessive airbrake deflection caused the glider to stall and touch down hard with a bounce. The event was reported to the Polish State Commission on Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL) on 18 September 2018, after the technical chief of the aeroclub discovered damage during a pre-flight inspection.
Damage and Injuries
Inspection revealed cracks in the fuselage near the front skid and the tow hook. According to the report, there were no fatalities or injuries; two individuals aboard were unharmed.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined the cause to be improper operation of the airbrake lever during landing.
Preventive Actions
As a preventive measure, the student pilot was recommended to undergo a check flight with an instructor. The commission did not issue any safety recommendations.