What happened
On December 8, 2019, a pilot was conducting a recreational flight near the Michałków (EPOM) airfield to test a recently purchased Ozone wing equipped with an Octagon motor. The flight was being conducted under the radio supervision of an experienced pilot, who provided real-after-the-fact feedback via radio.
During the initial minutes of the flight, the pilot performed maneuvers with shallow bank angles to familiarize themselves with the new wing's characteristics. After approximately 10 minutes, the pilot descended to a lower altitude and began executing deep left and right turns. Although the supervising pilot warned via radio that the maneuvers were being performed at too low an altitude, the pilot continued the maneuvers. During one such turn, the pilot reported that the wing suddenly pitched downward, resulting in a fall from several meters and a collision with the ground. The pilot sustained serious injuries.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation established that the pilot held a valid PGP qualification and had approximately 90 hours of flight time on paramotors. The investigation confirmed that the weather conditions were good (VMC) and did not contribute to the accident. The motor functioned normally until the impact. The investigation also noted that this was the pilot's first flight using this specific wing type and that two-way radio communication was maintained throughout the flight.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the loss of control of the paramotor during deep turns performed at a low altitude.
- A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of experience flying this specific new wing type.