Synopsis
On July 5, 2003, an L-13 Blanik glider operated by Panevėžys Aeroclub made a forced landing in a rye field near Krekenava, Lithuania, resulting in damage to the aircraft. The pilot, an 18-year-old Lithuanian citizen, was not injured.
Flight History
The glider, registration LY-GKW, departed Panevėžys aerodrome at 09:38 local time on a planned route to Ramygala, Eriškiai, Krekenava, and back to Panevėžys. After 2 hours and 28 minutes of flight, deteriorating soaring conditions forced the pilot to select an emergency landing field. The pilot reported descending to 600 meters altitude near Krekenava and searching for a suitable area. He chose a large, uniformly colored field with good approaches and attempted to gain altitude in spirals. After failing to climb, the last spiral was performed at 200 meters. The pilot realized at 150 meters that the field consisted of tall rye crops unsuitable for landing but could not divert due to insufficient altitude. The glider cleared trees 10-15 meters high and touched down 230 meters beyond them, rolling 35 meters through the crops. The landing occurred at 12:06 local time.
Glider Information
The L-13 Blanik glider (serial number 027136) was manufactured in 1978 by LET in the Czech Republic. It had accumulated 1286.08 flight hours since new and 926.37 hours since its last major overhaul. The glider's airworthiness certificate was valid until May 1, 2005, but investigation revealed that the certificate's extension beyond January 27, 2004, was incorrect, as the calendar-based overhaul interval expired on that date.
Meteorological Conditions
At 12:00 local time, weather at nearby stations varied. In Panevėžys (30 km northeast), wind was 170° at 3 m/s with gusts to 5 m/s, visibility over 10 km, cumulus clouds at 6 oktas with base 600 m, temperature 19.4°C. In Ukmergė (52 km southeast), conditions were similar with temperature 19.2°C. In Dotnuva (20 km southwest), wind was 220° at 2-3 m/s, visibility over 10 km, cumulus clouds at 2 oktas with base 1000 m, temperature 21.2°C. At Panevėžys aerodrome, wind was 150° at 2-3 m/s, pressure 749 mm Hg, temperature 23°C.
Landing Area
The chosen field was approximately 1000 m by 600 m, planted with rye 60-80 cm tall. Located 3 km southwest of Krekenava, it was bordered by roads on two sides and a tree-lined stream on the others. The glider landed from south to north on a heading of 20°, passing over trees along the stream. Field elevation was 46 m.
Damage
The glider's stabilizer was damaged during the landing roll due to contact with tall, dense rye. Both forward mounting brackets of the stabilizer were torn off, the metal skin of the stabilizer leading edge was damaged, the right stabilizer leading edge was deformed, internal attachment points of both elevator halves were damaged, the left elevator trailing edge was deformed, the right elevator fabric covering was damaged, and the rear landing gear support was broken. The landing was not hard; damage occurred after touchdown from rolling through crops.
Cause
The investigation determined the cause was pilot error due to lack of experience in selecting a suitable landing field from the air.