What happened
On August 17, 2019, a training flight was being conducted at Kruszolog (EPWK) airport involving a student pilot and an instructor. The aircraft, an SZD-50-3 Puchacz with registration SP-3411, was operating under favorable meteorological conditions with no intense thermal activity present.
At approximately 13:20 LMT, while on final approach to landing, the glider was flying at an altitude of approximately 3 meters above a road located in front of the airfield. During this phase, the student pilot applied excessive back pressure on the control stick. This maneuver caused a rapid loss of airspeed, leading to a stall. The instructor was unable to intervene before the aircraft impacted the ground approximately 30 meters short of the runway threshold on an unpaved area of the airfield.
As a result of the impact, the instructor sustained a vertebral fracture (specifically a fracture of the vertebral endplate) and was transported to the hospital. The student pilot sustained no injuries.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight sequence, the actions of the crew, and the physical condition of the aircraft. Post-accident inspections of the SP-3411 revealed minor damage to the nose wheel fairing and the right wing aileron drive mechanism.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the instructor's failure to maintain adequate supervision and divided attention during the training flight.
- The student pilot's abrupt control input directly induced the stall.
- The instructor's reaction time was insufficient to recover the aircraft from the stall before impact.