Accident Overview
On June 19, 2003, at approximately 16:27 local time, an SZD-48-3 "Jantar-Standard-3" glider, registration LY-GCI, operated by the Kaunas District Aviation Sports Club, sustained structural damage during a forced landing in a meadow near Ukmergė, Lithuania. The glider was participating in the ninth task of the Lithuanian Open Standard Class Gliding Championship, flying a route from Pociūnai via Merkinė, Elektrėnai, Ukmergė, and Utena, returning to Pociūnai. After 4 hours and 8 minutes of flight, deteriorating soaring conditions forced the pilot to select a field for landing.
Flight and Crew Details
The glider was piloted by a 31-year-old Lithuanian male holding a glider pilot license (SK 089, issued June 30, 1994, valid until April 3, 2004) and a valid medical certificate. He had accumulated 701.18 total glider flight hours, with 369.21 hours on the SZD-48-3 type. His last proficiency check for landing in fields selected from the air was conducted on March 23, 2002.
The glider, manufactured in 1984 by PZL-Bielsko in Poland (serial number B-1405, series II), had a total time of 1053.08 hours. Its last periodic maintenance was performed on June 7, 2003. However, the glider had been operated without a valid airworthiness certificate from June 13, 2003, until the accident date. A new certificate was issued after the accident, without knowledge of the damage.
Weather Conditions
According to the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service Aviation Meteorological Center, weather conditions near the accident site were typical. At the Ukmergė observation point (5 km from the field), winds were from 180° at 5 m/s at both 15:00 and 18:00. Visibility was 10 km, cloud base at 600 m, and temperature around 21°C. At Vilnius and Kauno aerodromes, conditions were similar with good visibility. The wind at the landing site was considered a tailwind with a crosswind component from the left.
Landing Site and Sequence
The selected landing field was a roughly rectangular meadow (1400 m by 1200 m) located 5 km southwest of Ukmergė and 0.8 km northwest of Leonpolis. The field contained a freshly mowed strip of grass, 21 m wide, oriented 325°/145°, into which the glider attempted to land. The pilot approached with a left-hand circuit, landing course 325°, and touched down at 16:27. After rolling a few meters, the right wing tip contacted the unmowed grass (30–40 cm high) adjacent to the strip. The glider then rotated approximately 90° to the right and skidded sideways for 31 m over uneven terrain. The skid ended 9 m after the main landing gear frame fractured due to a side impact with a small hump.
Aircraft Damage
The accident resulted in a broken main wheel frame, cracks and chips on the main wheel fairing and fuselage skin in the wheel well, deformed wheel well doors, abrasions on the lower front fuselage, a fractured tail wheel axle bush, and damage to the tail wheel tire. No debris was found, and the glider left a continuous skid mark indicating a non-hard landing.
Investigation Findings
Analysis of the GPS flight data and ground marks showed that the glider touched down slightly right of the centerline of the mowed strip, with a heading approximately 12° to the right of the strip's orientation. The strip width of 21 m provided only 3 m clearance on each side for the glider's 15 m wingspan. The wind, blowing from 180° at 5 m/s, produced a crosswind component of 4.1 m/s from the left, drifting the glider to the right. The pilot's actions were insufficient to maintain the intended touchdown point and direction within the narrow strip. The glider was also being used without a valid airworthiness certificate at the time of the flight.
Probable Cause
Landing on a narrow field with a tailwind-crosswind.