What happened
On June 2, 2019, a SZD-36 A „Cobra 15“ glider was performing a winch launch at the Schmoldow airfield. The pilot had completed two previous flights earlier that day. During the third launch attempt, the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 20 to 30 meters. At this low altitude, the glider experienced a brief yawing motion to the right, followed by a motion to the left. This was immediately followed by a roll over the left wing, causing the aircraft to impact the runway almost vertically.
The impact occurred near a two-seat "Puchacz" glider that had recently landed. Debris from the SZD-36 A „Cobra 15“ struck the right wing and cockpit canopy of the stationary aircraft. The impact resulted in the destruction of the glider and fatal injuries to the pilot, who was ejected from the cockpit during the crash. The second aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft, the launch equipment, and the flight conditions. Investigators inspected the winch cable, noting that while the breaking links (weak links) remained intact, the winch cable itself had snapped near the winch unit. The aircraft's center-of-gravity release mechanism was inspected and found to be fully functional. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's flight history, noting that while the pilot held a valid license, he had very limited experience on this specific aircraft type, having flown only 1 hour and 55 minutes on the SZD-36 A „Crolba 15“ prior to the accident.
Findings
- The pilot was performing a winch launch at a very low altitude (20-30 meters) when the loss of control occurred.
- The aircraft experienced a sequence of yawing motions followed by a wing drop.
- The winch cable snapped at the winch end during the launch.
- The pilot had minimal flight time on this specific model, having only completed 10 launches on the type.
- The impact was nearly vertical, leading to the fatal injury of the pilot.