Incident Overview
On August 4, 2019, an ASG 29 glider, registration P-3818, operated from Polska Nowa Wieś airfield (EPOP) near Opole, Poland. The pilot, who held valid qualifications and had accumulated 1,021 hours of glider flight time, planned a cross-country flight with a return landing at the departure airfield.
Sequence of Events
After completing the cross-country route in favorable thermal conditions, the pilot initiated an approach to land into the wind on runway 31. The landing was performed without a flare phase, resulting in a hard touchdown. Following the landing roll and stop, the pilot exited the glider.
Damage and Injuries
The hard landing caused damage to the glider's landing gear and compromised the structure of the seat pan. The pilot sustained no injuries during the event.
Cause
The investigation determined the cause of the incident to be a pilot error in technique: the absence of a flare phase during the landing.
Additional Information
The glider was airworthy and covered by liability insurance at the time of the incident. The investigating body found no contributing circumstances and did not propose any safety recommendations. The Polish State Commission on Aircraft Accident Investigation (Państwowa Komisja Badania Wypadków Lotniczych) accepted the final report and issued no additional safety recommendations.