What happened
On July 23, 2020, at approximately 19:45 LMT, a 58-year-old student pilot departed from the Gostkowo landing field in an Aeroprakt A22, registration SP-SAMA. The flight was intended to be a solo cross-country training mission as part of a program for obtaining a UACP certificate, with an estimated duration of 37 minutes.
During the final leg of the flight, the pilot lost all geographical orientation and was unable to recover his position. Due to flying on an incorrect course for an extended period, the aircraft ended up approximately 80 km away from the intended destination, near the town of Iława. As dusk approached, the pilot decided to perform a precautionary landing in an unprepared field roughly 8 km south of Iława.
An instructor, noticing that the student had failed to report back as scheduled, attempted to establish radio contact but was unsuccessful. The instructor subsequently departed in a separate aircraft to search for the student from the air. While brief and weak radio contact was eventually established, it was ultimately lost. Following the instructor's report to FIS Gdańsk, a search and rescue operation was initiated. The search was suspended at approximately 21:30 after the student pilot confirmed via telephone that the flight had ended safely. The pilot noted that he had not maintained radio contact with air traffic services and did not have a mobile phone on his person during the flight.
The investigation
The PKBWL examined the circumstances surrounding the loss of navigation and the subsequent emergency landing. The investigation focused on the pilot's navigation techniques and the lack of communication with air traffic services during the period of disorientation.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the loss of geographical orientation during the cross-country flight.
- This disorientation was driven by inadequate flight preparation and errors in navigation execution.
- The pilot's inability to maintain radio contact with air traffic services contributed to the delay in identifying the emergency.
Safety action
- The flight training center's Head of Training conducted additional training with the pilot. This training focused on performing cross-country flights, VFR navigation techniques, and procedures to follow in the event of losing geographical orientation.