What happened
On the afternoon of December 31, 2020, a pilot initiated a training flight using a Uniwersal 1.1 powered paraglider. The flight departed from an improvised landing area located in Wrocław Maślice. After approximately fifteen minutes of flight, the aircraft was positioned over irrigation fields in the vicinity of Świnary, near Wrocław.
During the flight, the pilot descended to an altitude below the treeline. While at this low altitude, the pilot observed two other powered paragliders approaching from the opposite direction at a similar height. In an attempt to maneuver around one of the oncoming aircraft and climb above the trees, the right side of the paraglider wing struck a tree. This impact caused the wing to deform, leading to a rapid loss of airspeed and a subsequent crash to the ground. Other pilots in the area witnessed the accident and landed nearby to alert emergency services.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight path and the pilot's maneuvers during the encounter with the other aircraft. The investigation established that the pilot held valid qualifications for both paragliding (PP) and powered paragliding (PPG) operations. The medical response involved the Air Ambulance (Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe), which transported the pilot to a hospital.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was pilot error, specifically conducting the flight at an altitude that was too low and in violation of applicable aviation regulations.
- The pilot's decision to descend below the tree line significantly reduced the available margin for maneuvering when encountering other aircraft.