Introduction
On June 15, 2014, a PZL-Bielsko SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider, registered JA2523 and operated by Aero Sports Kitami Incorporated Non-profit Organization, was involved in an accident at the Kitami District Temporary Operation Site for agricultural use in Hokkaido, Japan. The glider sustained substantial damage after colliding with a metallic fence and a bank on the west side of the site. No injuries to persons occurred.
Flight History
The glider, with only the captain on board, took off from runway 10 at 14:19 JST, towed by an airplane. It was released at an altitude of 660 m and performed air operations northeast of the site. After about 10 minutes of flight, the glider entered the south side of the traffic pattern at a higher altitude than usual. Passing 400 m (20 m higher than the usual 380 m) abeam a piste, it maintained an airspeed of 100 km/h but hardly descended due to upstream conditions before the base turn. The captain delayed the base turn and extended the downwind leg. After completing the final turn, the approach path was higher than usual, prompting the captain to use dive brakes to correct the touchdown point. The glider approached a grass overrun area. During the flare just before touchdown, the captain closed the dive brakes, expecting a touchdown on the grass. However, the glider undershot and collided with a metallic fence and a bank in front of the grass overrun area. It stopped after sliding about 30 m on the grass overrun area.
A witness at the piste observed the glider on final approach, initially higher than usual but then descending at an almost constant rate with dive brakes opened larger than usual. The witness lost sight of the aft body when the nose rose near the ground but saw the dive brakes open.
Damage
The glider suffered substantial damage: the fuselage was broken just after the main wing, the main wheel cover was broken and scattered, and the empennage was partially damaged. Landing gear also broke. The flight control systems for elevators and rudder were restricted due to fuselage breakage, but ailerons and dive brakes remained operable.
Probable Causes
In this accident, it is probable that the glider was not corrected to an appropriate approach path by using dive brakes, and the approach path lowered, subsequently colliding with the fence and the bank at the west side of the airfield and sustaining damage.