What happened
On October 19, 2019, a solo glider flight was being conducted at the Bezmiechowa airfield in Poland. The pilot, performing a gravity-launched soaring flight in an SZD-9 bis 1E Bocian, registration SP-3711, was engaged in training maneuvers. During the flight, the pilot encountered an area of increased sink rate and, fearing insufficient altitude to clear the forest on the western side of the airfield, decided to terminate the soaring flight and land on the lower runway.
While attempting the landing, the pilot was being drifted by a southwesterly wind. Although an instructor provided radio instructions to correct the course, the pilot's response was ineffective, leaving the aircraft over the airfield terrain. Following a radio command from the instructor to turn right, the pilot initially began the maneuver but then aborted the turn, instead straightening the aircraft on a southwesterly heading to land.
Upon touchdown at an excessive speed on the flat part of the airfield, the pilot attempted to avoid an electric pole by banking the glider to the left and pulling back on the control stick. This maneuver caused the right wing to strike and sever a telephone line. The glider subsequently traveled across a public road adjacent to the airfield and came to a stop in a roadside ditch, rotated approximately 130 degrees from the original landing direction. The pilot sustained no injuries and exited the cockpit unassisted.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot held all necessary valid licenses, medical certificates, and authorizations for the flight. The SZD-9 bis 1E Bocian was found to be airworthy with all required technical documentation in order. The investigation also reviewed the airfield's Operating Instructions, which specify that if contact with ridge lift is lost, the pilot should fly toward the valley and execute a 180-degree approach maneuver to land with a flat profile.
Findings
- The pilot performed a landing approach maneuver that was inconsistent with the airfield's Operating Instructions.
- The timing of the departure from the ridge was too late, resulting in insufficient altitude to execute a safe, standardized approach maneuver.
- A temporary decrease in wind speed may have contributed to the difficulty in maintaining the intended flight path.