Incident Overview
On August 15, 2019, a pilot flying an ultralight Virus 912 departed from a designated takeoff and landing site in Robakowo near Grudziądz, intending to fly to a similar site in Nowęcin near Łeba. Both sites were familiar to the pilot, who had performed similar flights previously. The landing at Nowęcin on runway 25 was uneventful.
Departure and Sequence of Events
After a short stay, the pilot decided to return to Robakowo. He completed pre-start checks, taxied to the threshold of runway 25, and noted a crosswind from the south. After performing the checklist, he began the takeoff roll. At the rotation speed, he pulled the control stick to lift the nose wheel. After becoming airborne, the pilot pushed the control stick forward to maintain speed before climbing. According to the pilot, at that moment a gust of wind rolled the aircraft to the right. The gust was strong enough that the pilot managed to level the wings with aileron, but airspeed dropped below the evolutionary speed, resulting in a stall. The nose wheel struck the grassy runway, causing it to break; the aircraft then supported itself on the spinner and propeller, leading to abrupt deceleration.
Damage
The incident resulted in a broken nose gear leg, a damaged spinner, and a damaged propeller.
Injuries
The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained no injuries.
Probable Cause
The cause of the incident was pilot error consisting of incorrect/delayed control reaction in the event of a side wind gust during takeoff.