Incident Description
On 1 September 2019, at approximately 15:00 LMT, a SZD-48.3 Jantar Std. 3 glider, operated by Aeroklub Zagłębia Miedziowego, executed an off-field landing near Małomice, Poland. The glider had been towed by a Jak-12 M aircraft from Lubin Airport (EPLU) at 14:42, launching from asphalt runway 13. The tow proceeded downwind. Over the village of Niemstów, the team circled, and the glider's variometer indicated a climb of about 3 m/s. At approximately 550 m altitude, the glider pilot released the tow rope. After release, the glider made one orbit, during which the pilot noted that lift had dissipated. The pilot then steered toward the airport, flying along the outskirts of the city. He determined that without finding lift, he would not reach the airport. Unable to find lift, he selected a field suitable for an off-field landing. While maneuvering for landing, he observed a strip of dark green vegetation in front of the chosen field. Believing it to be a drainage ditch, he decided to land with the landing gear retracted to avoid damaging the gear fork if touchdown occurred before the field. The pilot radioed that he would not reach the airport and would land off-field. During landing, the glider touched down just beyond the strip—which turned out to be an unpaved road—and stopped after a short ground roll of about 10 m.
Pilot Information
The pilot was a 58-year-old male holding a glider pilot license (SPL) with instructor rating FI(S), valid until 30 September 2022. His Class 2 medical certificate was valid until 8 June 2020, and his LAPL medical until 8 June 2021. Total flight time was 776 hours, with 22 hours in 2019.
Aircraft Damage
Immediately after landing, no damage was apparent. However, approximately one month later, during a scheduled inspection, damage was discovered: paint abrasion on the lower fuselage surface and delamination of fuselage shell reinforcements located under the seat pan. These damages were attributed to the gear-up landing.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined the incident was caused by pilot errors consisting of:
- a) Decision of the towing aircraft pilot (team commander) to perform the tow leeward of the airport.
- b) Release of the glider by its pilot at an altitude that did not allow reaching the airport.
- c) Decision to land in an unprepared field taken too late (lack of aerial survey of the landing area – landing without landing gear).