Accident Details
On the afternoon of the accident, a Pezetel SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider, registered as C-FLCK (serial number B-2090), owned by the Great Lakes Gliding Corporation, was conducting a pleasure flight near Ronan Field, approximately 44°02′30″ N, 079°50′42″ W, close to Loretto, Ontario. The flight had been airborne for about 45 minutes and was at an altitude of roughly 1000 feet above ground level, appearing to approach the circuit. The glider then entered a spin, rotated approximately three times, and disappeared behind trees. At around 1605 eastern daylight time, it struck the ground in a steep, nose-down attitude. The aircraft was destroyed, and both pilots sustained fatal injuries.
Weather conditions at the time were good visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and were not considered a factor.
Pilot Information
The pilot-in-command (PIC) occupied the rear seat. He held a commercial pilot licence issued June 2, 2000, and a glider pilot licence issued June 24, 2002. As of May 2005, he had logged about 87 hours in gliders and 505 hours in powered aircraft. His last aviation medical examination was on March 3, 2004, which validated his glider pilot licence but not his commercial licence due to differing validity periods. The PIC had been prescribed Vioxx for knee arthritis and likely switched to Celebrex after Vioxx was removed from the market. His Transport Canada medical file did not list these drugs. Medical authorities confirmed a very small increased risk of heart disease with Vioxx, which would normalize after discontinuation, and that its use would not have affected his medical fitness. Autopsy and medical records showed no indication of incapacitation or physiological factors affecting his performance.
The front-seat pilot held a valid medical certificate and met requirements for a glider pilot licence, completing the flight test on May 28, 2005. He received a temporary glider pilot licence valid for 90 days pending issuance of a permanent licence, but the permanent licence was delayed due to administrative issues, and the temporary privileges expired on August 26, 2005. Thus, at the time of the accident, he lacked the necessary pilot licence documentation. He had about 60 hours in gliders. Autopsy and medical records showed no indication of incapacitation or physiological factors.
Aircraft Information
The Puchacz glider was manufactured in 1994 and held a valid Certificate of Airworthiness issued June 17, 2004, and a valid Certificate of Registration issued September 2, 2004. It was first registered to Great Lakes Gliding Corporation in May 2003. The glider was airworthy and within established weight and centre of gravity (C of G) limits. On the accident flight, the C of G was approximately 4 to 6 inches aft of datum.
The accident flight was the glider's seventh flight of the day; no problems were noted on the previous six flights (duration 3 to 25 minutes). Earlier spin training had been conducted with no unusual observations. General pilot opinion indicated the Puchacz enters a spin quite easily and recovers readily with proper technique, but the rate of rotation is higher than many gliders, and the spin attitude is steep (nose-down), losing about 300 feet per rotation.
Accident Sequence and Investigation
Examination of the site and wreckage showed the glider was in a left spin when it struck the ground in a left-wing-low, very steep (approximately 60–70°) nose-down attitude. After initial impact, the aircraft continued rotating left and rebounded rearward about 12.5 feet, coming to rest right side up on an easterly heading. The forward fuselage, including the cockpit, was completely destroyed. The wings and tail remained attached, with the tail slightly displaced left. Both occupants wore four-point lap and shoulder restraints.
Detailed examination of the flight control system revealed multiple overload failures in the fuselage and cockpit areas, but no pre-impact failures were found in primary flight controls. The left airbrake was fully deployed, and the right airbrake was partially deployed. Analysis determined that the unequal deployment occurred during ground impact, not during flight. The left airbrake's bevel gear mounting had failed due to impact loading, causing the gear teeth to disengage. Thus, no pre-impact loss of airbrake synchronization existed.
The investigation could not determine why the glider entered a spin or why recovery was unsuccessful. It was considered highly unlikely the pilots intentionally spun at low altitude; the spin was almost certainly inadvertent. Possible scenario: the pilots encountered a thermal and attempted to gain altitude, inadvertently allowing airspeed to decrease to stall and spin. There was no indication of pilot incapacitation or physiological factors.
Since the glider was still in a spin at impact and no pre-impact flight control discrepancies were found, it is likely that the pilots did not execute the proper spin-recovery technique. The possibility of a loose object jamming the controls could not be ruled out, but the more likely explanation, per the British Gliding Association report, is that the steep nose-down attitude and ground proximity led the pilot flying to retain pro-spin elevator (aft stick) as an involuntary reaction.
Previous Incidents
In 1990, a TSB investigation of a Puchacz spinning accident with two fatalities determined the glider inadvertently entered a spin at low altitude. In 2004, the UK AAIB investigated a similar accident with two fatalities, noting five previous Puchacz spinning accidents in the UK, four fatal, most resulting from inadvertent spins. The AAIB report referenced a 1994 British Gliding Association low-speed handling trial, which found the Puchacz compliant with JAR 22 but marginally compliant in stall during turns, and noted significantly greater height loss in a spin due to the steep attitude (70° nose down). The trial also indicated that retention of full aft stick was the only control mishandling that delayed spin exit, a likely involuntary reaction in a tense situation.
Probable Cause
The glider inadvertently entered a spin at approximately 1000 feet above ground level and did not recover from the spin before ground impact. The glider pilots likely did not execute the proper spin-recovery technique.