Mid-air collision of two gliders near Grudziądz (SP-3542)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On August 6, 2020, two gliders involved in a national gliding competition at Grudziądz – Lisie Kąty (EPGI) experienced a mid-air collision. The aircraft involved were a SZD-48-3 Jantar Std 3, registration SP-3542, operated by a regional aeroclub, and a Schempp-Hirth Mini-Nimbus C, registration SP-4021, operated privately. The collision occurred approximately 25 kilometers northwest of the airport, near the village of Borowy Młyn, at an estimated altitude of 800 meters AGL during thermal circling. ## Accident Sequence and Outcome The collision occurred while the pilots were circling in a thermal containing roughly 30 other gliders. The canopy of the Jantar struck the lower fuselage of the Nimbus. Following the impact, the Nimbus pilot confirmed the aircraft was controllable and flew approximately 25 km back to Grudziądz. The Jantar pilot lost control, entering an unrecovered spiral, but eventually recovered at 600–650 m AGL and landed safely in a stubble field at Bzowo. One pilot sustained minor injuries and received medical attention; the other was uninjured. Both gliders sustained significant damage but remained controllable after the collision.