2016 VSO-10 glider accident near Voděrady (OK-3526)

Overview and flight details On 24 August 2016, a VSO-10 glider with registration OK-3526 was involved in an accident 150 m north of the village of Voděrady. The aircraft was operated by Aeroklub MEMORIAL AIR SHOW Roudnice n. L. and was participating in the Gradient & Club Grand Prix 2016 gliding competition held at LKMB from 20 to 28 August 2016. The pilot took off by aerotow at 10:08 UTC and proceeded on a task of 153.81 km. During the flight, the pilot encountered weak lift and, at approximately 11:45 UTC, was unable to gain sufficient altitude to continue the task. The pilot then selected a harvested field north of Voděrady for an off-airfield landing. ## Accident sequence During the approach, the glider flew over a road lined with fruit trees at about 13 m above the ground and at a speed of 72.4 km/h. The pilot reported that the glider suddenly sank, likely due to local turbulence over the field, and struck the ground with its nose before the pilot could level it out. The glider bounced slightly, then skidded and rotated about the vertical axis for approximately 14.2 m. The pilot was not injured and reported the accident to LKMB and the Czech Police. ## Aircraft and pilot The VSO-10 is a single-seat, high-wing glider with a 15 m wingspan, manufactured by Orličan, n. p. in 1983. The aircraft had a total time of 2,657 h 16 min and 86 h 04 min since its last inspection, which was completed on 26 March 2016 with a release to service. The pilot was 48 years old, held a valid glider pilot licence and a valid class 2 medical certificate, and had a total of 127 h 03 min of flight time on gliders, including 111 h 05 min solo. ## Damage and conditions The accident occurred on a dry, soft harvested grain field at an elevation of 420 m. The glider came to rest rotated approximately 320° about its longitudinal axis, facing a heading of about 050° magnetic. Damage included cracks in the front and lower front fuselage, broken cockpit glazing, cracks in the rear fuselage skin behind the wing trailing edge, deformation of the fin leading edge, and minor deformation of the horizontal stabilizer at the hinge. Both wing halves showed no visible damage, and the landing gear was extended with no obvious damage. Meteorological conditions included a northwest surface wind of 3–6 kt, visibility over 10 km, few cumulus clouds with bases at 3,000–3,500 ft AGL, no turbulence, and a temperature of +16°C at 2,000 ft.