On 9 May 2021, the pilot intended to make an enroute (touring) flight with the Tecnam Astore airplane, registration marks I-C326, from the Przylep aerodrome near Zielona Góra (EPZP) to the Żar aerodrome (EPZR). Around 09:08 the pilot reported start of the engine in hangar and then taxied to RWY 24 threshold. Short of the threshold the pilot performed an engine run-up and following the information from the AFIS about traffic situation at the aerodrome, he entered RWY 24 and commenced take-off around 09:15. The aircraft lifted off after a 150 m take-off run and commenced a climb. After reaching an altitude of approximately 30 – 40 m, near the halfway point of the runway, the pilot reported a problem with the engine operation (without providing any details) and the intent to land downwind. Following that, the pilot aborted the climb and changed the direction of the flight to the right. Then, he began a left turn. The pilot made a low-altitude turn with increasing bank angle, which led to stall and spin of the airplane. While in the first phase of spin, the airplane hit the apron (runway strip perimeter) with its left wing and propeller, then rebounded and moved several meters to the direction of the flight, and then burst into flames. Witnesses took action to extinguish the fire using fire extinguishers available at the aerodrome. As a result of the accident, the pilot died on the spot.
After the investigation PKBWL determined following causes of the accident:
Bringing the aircraft to stall and spin due to the following pilot errors following the decision to land downwind:
– failure to gain an appropriate speed for emergency landing;
– making a 180º turn at a low altitude prohibited in airplane flight manual;
– exceeding the maximum allowable bank angle when making a turn.
Contributing factors:
– Aircraft mass close to MTOM;
– Wind direction pushing the aircraft to the left at the final stage of the turn.
After completing the investigation, PKBWL has not proposed any safety recommendations.
