What happened
On April 8, 2004, a PZL-BIELSKO SZD-50-3 PUCHACZ with registration EC-FVZ departed from the Lillo Aerodrome in Toledo for a solo instructional flight. The pilot, a student with approximately 20 flight hours, was performing a landing on runway 30. During the landing pattern, the aircraft transitioned through the downwind, base, and final legs at altitudes ranging from 230 to 110 meters.
During the turn from base to final, the aircraft drifted to the right of the runway centerline, prompting the pilot to execute corrective turns to the left and then right to realign with the runway. While on final approach, the pilot noticed the aircraft was lower than intended. In an attempt to recover, the pilot retracted the air brakes and increased the pitch. However, the glider failed to gain sufficient altitude and struck a perimeter fence located approximately 150 meters from the runway threshold. The aircraft made contact with the 1-meter-high fence and eventually came to a stop on the runway. The pilot escaped the wreckage without injury, but the aircraft sustained significant damage, including a broken canopy and structural damage to the wings and air brakes.
The investigation
Investigators examined the flight path and the pilot's experience levels. The investigation established that the aircraft was flying normally until the final approach phase, where a loss of altitude occurred. The analysis focused on the pilot's maneuvers to correct the flight path and the technical specifics of the aircraft's performance during the low-altitude approach.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the loss of excessive altitude during the final approach to runway 30.
- The pilot's corrective actions, including retracting air brakes and pitching up, were insufficient to prevent the collision with the perimeter fence.
- The pilot was in the early stages of solo flight training, having completed only four solo flights in this specific aircraft type, with only 3 hours and 40 minutes of experience in the PZL-BIELSKO SZD-50-3 PUCHACZ.