Incident Overview
On 1 August 2020, a glider pilot (female, aged 19, with 64 hours of flight experience) departed from Lisie Kąty airfield (EPGI) in a SZD-51-1 Junior glider (registration SP-4072) for a training flight in the local area, focusing on thermal soaring. After more than one hour of flight, the pilot lost contact with thermal lift and found herself at an altitude and distance (approximately 25 km from the departure airfield) that made a return to the airfield impossible. She decided to land in an unprepared field.
Unable to find a suitable field, the pilot chose to land in tall rye. During touchdown, the glider's wingtip caught the crop, causing the glider to rotate (a "cyrkiel" in Polish terminology). The pilot sustained no injuries. The glider was damaged.
Cause of the Incident
The primary cause of the incident was the loss of contact with thermal lift in conditions that prevented a return to the departure airfield. The direct cause was the landing in tall rye, which led to the wingtip catching the crop, resulting in a rotation and damage to the glider.
Contributing Factors
A contributing factor was the pilot's limited experience in off-field landing procedures.
Post-Incident Actions
As a preventive measure, the pilot was assigned theoretical and practical training focused on thermal flights over the airfield and principles of selecting an off-field landing site. Further flights were made conditional on the results of training and check flights. No additional safety recommendations were issued by the investigation commission.