What happened
On March 19, 2023, a pilot was conducting a flight in a SOL Paragliders Auster GTM paramotor near Nowa Wieś, Poland. The flight began with a series of takeoff attempts from a meadow, eventually resulting in a successful departure. After flying for approximately one hour, the pilot transitioned to a low-altitude flight along the Soła River.
While flying at a low altitude near a railway viaduct, the engine failed. The pilot attempted an emergency water landing in a narrow, heavily wooded branch of the river. During the landing, the paramotor's trike underwent a sudden pitch-over (capsize). This maneuver caused the paraglider's canopy and lines to wrap around the pilot and the trike. The pilot was unable to extricate himself from the harness and the lines, leading to a fatal drowning. Search and rescue teams recovered the wreckage and the pilot's body approximately six hours after the incident.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation examined the mechanical state of the Simonini Mini 2 engine and the surrounding circumstances. Investigators found that the engine had sufficient fuel and the carburetor was clean. However, upon recovery from the river, the electrical system was non-functional, and no spark was present at the spark plug. The investigation concluded that the engine failure was likely caused by a malfunction in the ignition system, potentially triggered by water damage after the submersion.
Regarding the pilot's actions, the investigation noted that the pilot was relatively inexperienced with this specific equipment set. The low-altitude flight path over the riverbed provided no suitable terrain for a safe emergency landing should an engine failure occur.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure was an ignition system malfunction.
- The pilot's decision to fly at a low altitude over difficult terrain (water and dense forest) left no margin for error during an engine failure.
- The emergency landing, while executed correctly in terms of the trike's impact, resulted in a capsize that entangled the pilot in the wing lines.
- The configuration of the equipment and the entanglement of the lines made survival impossible.
- The pilot's high level of confidence in the relatively new equipment may have contributed to the decision to fly in a high-risk environment.