What happened
On July 4, 2025, a SZD-48-3 Jantar Std. 3 glider, registration SP-3329, was participating in a gliding competition. After departing from LKDK (Dvur Kralove nad Labа), the pilot flew a course toward Liberec and along the southern slopes of the Karkonosze mountains.
Before 14:00 local time, the pilot reached the vicinity of Trutnov at a low altitude. Finding no thermal lift and unable to return to the home aerodrome, the pilot selected a large, undulating field for an outlanding at approximately 550 m AGL. During the approach, the pilot executed three 180-degree turns (S-turns) starting at an altitude of 200 m. During these maneuvers, the glider's speed fluctuated between 96 and 148 km/h. The pilot completed the turns at approximately 50 m AGL with an indicated airspeed of 143 km/h and a high sink rate exceeding 10 m/s.
The landing approach lacked essential elements, including a stabilized straight-in leg, established approach direction, and proper speed reduction. The glider made a hard touchdown at excessive speed with a significant sideslip. This caused the aircraft to bounce and undergo a second hard impact. The combination of the sideslip and a lack of lateral balance caused a wingtip to catch the grass, resulting in an uncontrolled ground loop. Additionally, the aircraft passed under a power line that the pilot had failed to notice during the final phase of flight. The glider sustained serious damage, but the pilot escaped without injury.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight logs from the Naviter "SeeYou" application and analyzed the pilot's maneuvers and the terrain conditions. The investigation established that the approach was performed without the necessary phases of a stabilized landing, such as leveling the flight path or reducing speed. The investigation also reviewed the safety training protocols of the flight organization involved.
Findings
- Improper construction of the landing maneuver, characterized by performing turns in a zone where the glider should have been on a stabilized straight-in leg.
- Failure to control airspeed, evidenced by rapid and violent changes in the glide angle during the final approach.
- A hard touchdown at excessive speed, likely exacerbated by a sideslip.
- The use of hilly, undulating terrain for an outlanding, which complicated the planning of the approach.
- Failure to identify a power line obstruction during the final descent.