What happened
On November 15, 2018, at approximately 15:40 LMT, a student pilot was conducting training flights at a landing site in Borowa Oleśnicka, Poland. The flight was part of the final phase of training for a qualification certificate, conducted as a winch-assisted launch operation.
During the third solo flight, the pilot failed to maintain the intended takeoff heading. As the SKYWALK MESCAL 4L paraglider drifted approximately 15 meters laterally from the takeoff line, an instructor monitoring the flight issued several radio commands to steer left. The student pilot failed to respond to these instructions. As the wing approached a cluster of bushes, the pilot applied excessive force to the left brake. This maneuver caused the wing to stall, resulting in a spiral dive that ended with the pilot impacting the ground from a height of approximately 1.5 meters.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation examined the sequence of events during the winch launch, the instructor's radio communications, and the pilot's control inputs. The investigation established that the weather conditions were favorable (VMC) and did not contribute to the accident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the loss of directional control during the winch launch.
- The student pilot's delayed response to the loss of heading contributed to the event.
- Excessive application of the left brake input led to the wing stall and subsequent spiral dive.