What happened
On October 24, 2021, an instructor and a student pilot were conducting a training flight departing from Przylep (EPZP) in a Cessna 15 and 0 H, registration SP-KAY. As part of the navigation training, the crew planned to perform a simulated precautionary landing at the Szprotawa-Wiechlice (EPWE) airfield.
Prior to the maneuver, the crew performed an aerial reconnaissance of the airfield. During this observation, they did not observe any active aviation markings, ground signs, or radio communications. Furthermore, the Poznań FIS did not provide any information regarding active operations at the site. At approximately 14:00 LMT, the crew flew over the airfield at an altitude of approximately 50 ft AGL without the intention of landing. The flight subsequently returned to EPZP without further incident.
Two days after the flight, during a pre-flight inspection, a light abrasion was discovered on the leading edge of the left wing. The cause of this damage was not immediately identified. It was only four days later that members of the Aeroklub Ziemi Lubuskiej learned from a paraglider present at the airfield that the aircraft had collided with a paraglider winch cable.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation focused on why the crew failed to detect the presence of paragliding operations and why the cable was not visible or communicated. The investigation established that the paragliding winch operations were being conducted without the necessary ground markings being laid out. Additionally, the investigation looked into the communication gap between the paragliding operators and the FIS Poznań center.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the conduct of paragliding winch operations without required markings.
- The crew of SP-KAY failed to notice that aviation operations were underway at the EPWE airfield.
- A contributing factor was the failure to communicate the paragliding flight operations to the FIS center.
Safety action
Following the incident, the investigating entity (AZL) decided to cease all aviation operations at the Szprotawa-Wiechlice (EPWE) airfield and committed to increasing caution during simulated precautionary landings and other emergency procedure training.