What happened
On September 14, 2022, an SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider, registration SP-3407, was conducting a training flight at Pruszcz Gdański airport. The flight, operated by Aeroklub Gdański, was intended to teach a student pilot how to recover from a spin.
After releasing from a tow plane at approximately 700 meters, the crew performed an initial left spin. The student successfully recovered the aircraft, but due to improper aileron use, the instructor initiated a second left spin to correct the technique. During this second maneuver, the aircraft entered a flat spin, making recovery difficult. As the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 300 meters, the rotation ceased, but the instructor's attempt to transition to level flight caused the glider to enter a third left spin.
Recognizing that the altitude was too low to safely recover and fearing a high-speed nose-first impact, the instructor intentionally maneuvered the aircraft to impact the ground on its left wing to absorb the energy of the crash. The glider struck the ground approximately 1,900 meters from the eastern threshold of the runway, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft and two serious injuries to the crew.