Incident Overview
On 6 August 2020, at 13:55 LMT, two gliders collided in mid-air over Lisie Kąty airfield (EPGI) during the fourth task of the Polish National Gliding Championships in Club Class. The aircraft involved were a Jantar Standard 2 (registration SP-3174, competition markings B1) and an SZD-55-1 (registration SP-3985, competition markings FF). The collision occurred at an altitude of 1235 m AMSL before the gliders departed on the competition route.
Sequence of Events
Glider FF entered a thermal in which glider B1 was circling. The right upper tip of FF's wing contacted the lower surface of B1's left wing, approximately 2 meters from the wingtip. After the contact, both pilots decided to continue the flight and proceed on the competition route. The remainder of the flight for both gliders was uneventful. After landing, slight scratches were found on the lacquer of the right wingtip of FF, and an orange scratch was visible on the lacquer of B1's wing.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the incident was improper observation of the airspace and movement of other gliders by the pilot of glider FF, who was entering the thermal.
Contributing Factors
No contributing factors were identified.
Safety Actions
The day after the incident, during a pre-flight briefing with all competitors, the Competition Director reminded the pilots of the rules for circling in a thermal and for performing a transition (repeating the presentation from the main briefing at the start of the competition). No additional safety recommendations were issued by the investigation commission.