What happened
On March 21, 2022, a solo training flight involving an Alexander Schleicher ASK13 glider ended in an accident at the Kisogawa Gliding Field in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The aircraft, registered JA2151, was being operated by the Tokai/Kansai Student Aviation League.
The trainee pilot had been cleared for solo flight following a successful initial flight earlier that day. During the approach, the pilot was attempting to manage the descent after completing a series of maneuvers. Because the aircraft was at a higher altitude than the target approach path, the pilot fully extended the dive brakes to increase the descent rate.
As the aircraft approached the runway, the pilot became preoccupied with correcting the approach path and airspeed. This concentration led to a delay in the flare maneuver. Consequently, the glider made a hard first touchdown and bounced. Following an instruction from the flight instructor to close the dive brakes, the aircraft made a second touchdown, during which the impact caused serious injuries to the trainee. The glider bounced a third time before finally coming to a stop on the runway.
The investigation
The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) examined the flight path, meteorological conditions, and the training protocols used by the aviation league. Investigators reviewed the aircraft's maintenance records and the pilot's training history, noting that the wind conditions at the time of the accident were within safe operational limits. The investigation also scrutinized the procedures used by the instructor to authorize the trainee's solo flight status.