Incident Overview
On 2 June 2019, at approximately 15:10 local time, an ultralight aircraft CTLS, registration D-MAXK, experienced an incident during landing at a private airstrip near Chudoba, Głogówek, Poland. The aircraft was operated by a private owner on a sightseeing flight. The pilot, a 52-year-old male with a valid ultralight pilot license, was the sole occupant and sustained no injuries.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was an ultralight CTLS. The pilot held a license issued by LAA ČR on 12 August 2013, valid until 4 September 2019. His total flight experience was approximately 280 hours, with about 187 hours on the CTLS type.
Sequence of Events
Earlier that day, the pilot had performed four sightseeing flights with passengers. All takeoffs and landings were conducted on private property prepared for such operations. For the fifth flight, which began before 15:00 LMT, the pilot flew alone. During the landing approach, the main landing gear struck rapeseed growing in an adjacent field. This caused a sudden deceleration, and the aircraft nosed over after the nose wheel contacted the crop. The tall rapeseed partially cushioned the impact, limiting damage to the aircraft.
The pilot exited the aircraft unaided and subsequently righted it using his own resources. The hard landing triggered the ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter), activating an alarm system. The pilot, being well-known locally, received a call from the fire brigade asking if he knew about an aircraft accident, as services were conducting a search related to the ELT activation. The pilot confirmed the incident and, unable to deactivate the ELT otherwise, disassembled it and removed the batteries. The ELT signal ceased around 17:00 LMT.
While the pilot was moving the aircraft to the hangar, the fire brigade and later the police arrived. The pilot was tested for alcohol with a negative result. The aircraft was secured in the hangar until the arrival of the Polish State Commission on Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL). After inspection, the aircraft was released to the owner.
Cause
The cause of the incident was pilot error: performing too low an approach for landing.