What happened
On a pleasure flight near Loretto, Ontario, a Pezetel SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider, registration C-FLCK, entered a spin while approximately 1000 feet above the ground. The aircraft, operated by Great Lakes Gliding Corporation, was approaching the landing circuit when it began rotating. The glider completed roughly three rotations before striking the ground at a steep, nose-down angle. The impact destroyed the aircraft and resulted in two fatalities.
At the time of the accident, weather conditions were clear with good visual meteorological conditions. The aircraft was performing its seventh flight of the day, following several successful shorter sorties. The pilot-in-end was seated in the rear, and a second pilot was in the front seat.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage at the crash site, noting that the glider struck the earth in a left-wing-low, steep attitude. The forward fuselage and cockpit were destroyed upon impact. While the left airbrake was fully deployed and the right was partially deployed, a detailed mechanical examination determined that this asymmetry was a result of the ground impact rather than a pre-impact failure. The mechanism responsible for synchronizing the airbrakes remained functional until the collision.
Medical examinations and autopsies of both pilots showed no evidence of physiological incapacitation or medical factors that would have hindered their performance. Investigators also reviewed the aircraft's maintenance and weight and balance records, finding the C-FLCK to be airworthy and within established center of gravity limits at the time of the accident.
Findings
- The glider inadvertently entered a spin at an altitude of approximately 1000 feet.
- The pilots likely did not execute the proper spin-recovery technique.
- The steep, nose-down attitude of the Pezetel SZD-50-3 Puchacz during the spin, combined with the low altitude, likely caused the pilot to involuntarily retain pro-spin elevator controls (aft stick), preventing recovery.