Accident Overview
On June 3, 2019, during the second task of the 17th Polish Gliding Championships in Club Class and Regional Gliding Competition in Club A, two SZD-48-3 Jantar Std 3 gliders collided in flight near Bojanowo, approximately 13 km west of Lisie Kąty airfield (EPGI). The gliders involved were SP-3262 (competition sign FR) and SP-3678 (competition sign W). The pilot of FR was a 66-year-old male holding a glider pilot license; the pilot of W was a 52-year-old male also holding a glider pilot license.
Flight Details
At the time of the accident, several gliders were circling in a thermal updraft at an altitude of about 790 m AMSL over a forested area. The first glider to enter the thermal was MT, starting a right turn at 550 m AMSL near Fletnowo. Subsequently, FR and EM arrived; FR began circling right at 730 m AMSL while EM continued toward the airfield. W joined the circling gliders at 762 m AMSL. At 16:13:35, after completing one circle, W began to exit the thermal at 791 m, while FR, 33 m lower, also started to leave but at a slower speed. The speed difference caused W to approach FR, leading to the collision.
Damage and Injuries
Following the impact, the pilot of FR executed an emergency parachute jump and landed safely near the crash site (Bojanowo forest ranger's lodge). The pilot of W checked controllability and returned to Lisie Kąty, landing safely. One pilot sustained light injuries; the other was uninjured. The glider FR fell into a forested marsh and was severely damaged. The glider W sustained damage to the leading edge of the left wing at about mid-span and waviness of the left aileron tip. There was no damage to third-party property.
Probable Cause
The Polish State Commission on Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL) determined the probable causes of the accident to be:
- Improper scanning of airspace by pilots during thermalling;
- Circling in a thermal in a manner that caused flight paths to intersect.