Incident Description
On 9 July 2020, at approximately 20:24 local time, a glider accident occurred at Laszki airfield (EPJL) during a solo training flight. The aircraft involved was an SZD-50-3 "Puchacz" with registration SP-3322, operated by Aeroklub Ziemi Jarosławskiej. The flight was part of basic practical training for a student pilot license (SPL) and was conducted under visual meteorological conditions (VMC). The weather had no influence on the occurrence.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The glider was a SZD-50-3 "Puchacz", a two-seat training glider. The student pilot, an 18-year-old male, held a valid medical certificate with VNL limitation and had completed theoretical knowledge checks and check flights authorizing solo flights. His total flight experience was 10 hours 16 minutes dual and 6 hours 53 minutes as pilot-in-command (PIC), primarily on Grob G103 Twin II and the SZD-50-3. The supervising instructor, a 49-year-old male with a glider pilot license and instructor rating FI(S), had a total of 1291 flight hours, including 605 hours as an instructor. The winch operator was a 20-year-old male authorized to operate glider winches.
Sequence of Events
Earlier that day, the instructor had conducted flights with a group of students from 11:13 to 20:18, performing 31 flights. Shortly before 20:00, the student pilot, who had previously worked as a winch operator, asked the instructor for a solo consolidation flight on the Puchacz. The instructor reviewed the student's training records and approved. At about 20:20, the student boarded the glider, fastened his harness, and prepared for departure. The instructor performed a pre-flight check, securing the rear harness and verifying the student's harness and canopy closure. After radio communication checks, the student signaled readiness, and the instructor ordered the winch operator to take up slack and then to pull. The initial launch phase was normal: the glider accelerated, lifted off, and began a gentle climb, transitioning to a steep climb. The instructor observed the glider adopting an excessively steep climb angle and radioed "Puchacz, nie zadzieraj" ("Puchacz, don't pitch up"). The glider appeared to reduce its climb angle slightly, but the angle remained too steep. Shortly thereafter, the glider lost directional control to the right, and at an altitude of approximately 70–80 meters, it stalled. The subsequent loss of lateral balance resulted in the left wing dropping, and the glider descended with a pitch-down attitude of about 45° along a trajectory of about 70° to the ground. The winch operator stopped the winch. The student did not release the tow rope, which had no effect on the accident sequence. The glider struck the ground, bounced, and moved approximately four meters backward.
Injuries and Damage
The student pilot sustained serious injuries and was transported to a hospital. The glider was substantially damaged: the cockpit was completely destroyed, the tail boom was broken aft of the trailing edge of the wings, the leading edges of both wings near the fuselage and the left wing near the aileron were damaged. No parts separated from the glider in flight.
Post-Accident Actions
The winch operator ran to the accident site to provide assistance. The instructor called emergency services. Persons near the airfield buildings heard a loud noise and went to the glider, finding the unconscious student and providing first aid until emergency services arrived. The instructor and winch operator were tested for alcohol; results were 0.00 mg/l.