Background
The accident involved a PIK-20 E glider, registration D-KBDD, operated at Farkashegy Airport (LHFH). The pilot intended to obtain a self-launch (SL) rating on his existing license. He had transported the glider by road to the airport earlier that day. After assembly, he received theoretical instruction and practiced ground handling under the supervision of a qualified instructor.
The Flight
The pilot flew two sorties. The first departure was at 13:04 LT and lasted about 13.5 minutes. After landing, he and the instructor discussed the flight. The glider was then towed back to the start position. The second flight commenced at 13:37 LT. While preparing to land, the pilot shut down the engine but was unable to retract it quickly. The glider lost significant altitude during the retraction attempt and could not reach the airfield. It first touched down short of runway 33, bounced, then veered left and came to rest before the threshold. The tail section broke off during the impact. No personal injuries occurred.
Aircraft Damage
The glider sustained substantial damage. The fuselage separated approximately 0.6 to 0.9 meters forward of the horizontal stabilizer.
Investigation Findings
The investigation board (Vb) determined that the accident was caused by the pilot's mental workload exceeding his momentary capacity, leading to attention-sharing problems and control errors due to task saturation. An indirect cause was the pilot's lack of preparation for operating a complex, high-performance glider. Contributing factors included the pilot not being under the required instructor supervision during the flight, not having received the mandated instruction for solo flight, and the incompletely retracted engine and partially open engine bay covers significantly degrading the glider's glide performance. The board found no need for safety recommendations.
Probable Cause
The accident's probable cause was that the mental workload associated with handling the aircraft exceeded the pilot's momentary capability, resulting in divided attention and control errors from task overload. Indirectly, the pilot was not adequately prepared to fly such a complex and high-performance aircraft. Contributing factors were the lack of required instructor oversight, the absence of mandated instruction for solo flight, and the degraded glide performance caused by the unretracted engine and partially open engine bay covers.