What happened
On August 15, 2019, a pilot operating a Virus 912 ultralight aircraft departed from a makeshift airstrip in Robakowo, near Grudziądz, for a flight to Nowęcin, near Łeba. The pilot was familiar with both locations, having performed similar flights previously. After successfully landing at the Nowęcin site, the pilot decided to return to the original departure point.
During the departure from Nowęcin, the pilot performed all necessary pre-flight checks and taxied to the threshold of runway 25, noting a crosswind from the south. As the aircraft reached rotation speed, the pilot applied back pressure on the control stick. Upon liftoff, the pilot pushed the stick forward to maintain airspeed for the climb. At this critical moment, a sudden gust of wind struck the aircraft, causing it to roll heavily to the right wing. Although the pilot managed to use the ailerons to level the wings, the airspeed dropped below the minimum safe threshold, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.
As the aircraft lost lift, the nose gear struck the grassy runway surface. The impact caused the nose gear strut to break, leading the aircraft to strike the propeller spinner, which resulted in a sudden and violent deceleration.
The investigation
The investigation, concluded on November 5, 2019, examined the sequence of events following the landing gear failure. The inquiry focused on the aircraft's behavior during the takeoff roll and the pilot's control inputs in response to the environmental conditions present at the time of the incident.