Slovenian glider accident at Lesce airfield (S5-7104)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 25 September 2016, a Blanik BL-23 glider with registration S5-7104 was involved in an accident at Lesce airfield (LJBL) in Slovenia. The aircraft, manufactured by LET Kunovice in the Czech Republic, was owned by the Municipality of Radovljica and operated by Aeroklub ALC Lesce. The flight was a visual flight rules (VFR) training flight intended to maintain the pilot's type qualifications. ## Flight Sequence and Accident Circumstances The pilot and a passenger took off at 16:45 local time using a tow plane. After approximately 10 minutes of towing, the glider was released and flew northeast. Due to poor thermal lift, the pilot decided to return to the airfield after about 15 minutes of gliding. Assessing that he lacked sufficient altitude for a safe landing on the main runway, the pilot attempted to land on a strip north of the hangars, which was being used for model aircraft activities. During the landing attempt, the glider struck the grassy terrain with its left wing and then the front of the fuselage. The aircraft rotated 180 degrees and came to rest facing the opposite direction. Both the pilot and the passenger exited the aircraft uninjured. The glider sustained significant structural damage to the wings and fuselage and was declared beyond repair. ## Investigation and Safety Findings The investigation was conducted by the Slovenian Ministry of Infrastructure's service for investigating aviation, maritime, and railway accidents. The pilot, a 69-year-old Slovenian citizen, held a valid sailplane pilot license and a commercial pilot license. The aircraft was found to be technically airworthy with no operational limitations at the time of the accident. The investigation noted that the pilot and the flight leader notified the investigator by phone several hours after the incident, but the police and the event notification center were not informed in a timely manner.