2021 Friedersdorf glider accident

Overview and immediate sequence of events On 5 June 2021, a PZL Bielsko SZD-50-3 “Puchacz” glider was destroyed after a winch launch from Sonderlandeplatz Friedersdorf (EDCF), located about 1 km southeast of Friedersdorf and roughly 30 km southeast of Berlin. The aircraft carried a 54-year-old glider instructor and a 15-year-old student. According to the German Federal Aviation Accident Investigation Office (BFU), the glider entered a steep climb with a high angle of attack immediately after takeoff. At about 45 m, the winch cable released from the tow hook, and the aircraft rolled to the right and struck the ground in a shallow, tumbling-like motion. Both occupants were seriously injured, and the glider was destroyed. No third-party damage was reported. ## Aircraft and maintenance The SZD-50-3 “Puchacz” is a two-seat, glass-fibre-reinforced plastic glider with a 16.67 m wingspan and 8.38 m fuselage length. It was built in 1985 by PZL Bielsko in Poland, with serial number B-1541. The aircraft was registered in Germany and operated by an air sports club. Its last airworthiness inspection was on 29 May 2021, after maintenance and painting work in Poland, which included overhauling the aileron and elevator with bearing and bushing replacements. After initial flights, the elevator was found to be heavy to operate; the issue was corrected. Total time was 4,511 hours with 19,468 landings, including 20 landings and 3 hours since the last inspection. A weighing report dated 22 April 2021 listed an empty mass of 381.8 kg. The flight manual specified a minimum front-seat load of 55 kg for two-seat flights; the student weighed about 53 kg in clothing, and the automatic parachute system weighed 8 kg. ## Personnel The 54-year-old instructor held an unlimited glider pilot licence issued under EU regulations, with endorsements for winch towing, aerotow, self-launch, and aerobatics, as well as touring motor glider (TMG) and a teaching rating valid until 31 August 2021. His Class 2 medical certificate was valid until 26 June 2021 and carried a VML restriction. His personal logbook showed about 3,180 landings and 825 hours in gliders, including 350 hours as an instructor, and 539 starts with 288 hours in touring motor gliders. On 5 June 2021, he had completed two check flights with the club’s chief instructor in the Puchacz; these were his first glider flights in 2021, his previous glider flight having been on 25 October 2020. The 15-year-old student had begun glider training that same day, and the accident flight was his first training launch. He had previously made two guest flights in a Bocian glider on 29 May 2021. His body weight was about 50 kg. The launch was directed by a 37-year-old glider pilot with 20 years of flying experience. The winch was operated by a 35-year-old winch driver licensed since 9 July 2020, who reported about 400 winch tows, 12 of them in 2021, and was familiar with the equipment. A winch trainee was present to observe the tows in preparation for training. ## Meteorology and operations Ground visibility was reported as over 10 km under partly cloudy skies. Wind was about 7 kt, variable from north-easterly to south-easterly directions, with a temperature of about 27 °C and QNH of 1,019 hPa. Radio contact with Friedersdorf flight/launch control was maintained, but the radio traffic was not recorded. The airfield has an elevation of 115 ft AMSL and a 1,180 m by 40 m grass runway oriented 120°/300°. The glider was not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, as neither was required under applicable air law. GPS data from a collision warning device were available to the BFU and showed a tow height of 43 m above ground and a brief re-touchdown after liftoff. The interval from liftoff to the stall was about 3 seconds. ## Accident site and aircraft findings The accident site was 134 m southeast of the launch point, with the aircraft’s longitudinal axis roughly aligned with the launch direction. The launch area had been mowed before operations, but the cut was at least 10 cm above the grass surface, leaving a rough, uneven surface. The end of the intact tow cable lay 175 m from the launch point. The entire cabin area was destroyed on impact. The one-piece Plexiglas canopy was shattered, and the canopy frame was found beside the destroyed fuselage. The nose section was preserved for about 10 cm. The front pilot’s pedals were set in the fourth of nine possible positions. The instructor’s control stick was bent to the left. Two seat or back cushions, 8 cm and 10 cm deep, were found at the site; both could be compressed to about 2 cm under pressure. The two cushions used together were about 18 cm thick but could be compressed to about 6 cm. The fuselage tube broke behind the wings. The rear fuselage tube and tail surfaces appeared visually intact, but the rudder was separated from the rest of the tail. The elevator trim was set tail-heavy. The wings were structurally buckled in multiple places. The spoilers were extended one-quarter. The position of the brake flap lever could not be determined. The left aileron was partially torn from its attachment. Inspection of the control linkages found all controls functional, and the investigation found no evidence of a technical malfunction. ## Training context The German Aero Club’s glider training methodology includes “familiarisation flights” for first flight experience, emphasising gentle control inputs, explanation of the “free-flying” sensation, and allowing the student to enjoy the flight before formal training begins. It warns against abrupt control movements, aggressive manoeuvres, overloading the student with thermalling, insufficient explanation, and starting formal training too early.