L 33 Solo strikes the runway on tail and nose in turn after a flare begun at 1 m

On the third flight of a type conversion at Jihlava, the pilot of an L 33 Solo was unhurt and the glider substantially damaged when, after a flare begun at about 1 m instead of the usual 5 m, it struck the runway on its main wheel and then repeatedly on tail and nose. The pilot had misjudged the height on final; the flare was not completed by the 0.5 m hold-off height and the glider hit the grass and bounced. The pilot pulled sharply on the stick and the glider struck the runway alternately on its tailwheel and the underside of its nose. The report found 38 hours in total and 36 minutes on the type insufficient experience for the conversion.

1. Third type-conversion flight: The pilot was aerotowed at Jihlava for a third conversion flight on the single-seat L 33 Solo, practising take-off and landing, with an instructor monitoring by radio.
2. 36 minutes on the type: The pilot had 38 hours in total, 13 as pilot in command, and two flights totalling 36 minutes on the L 33, a type the report calls among the more demanding to land.
3. Circuit to RWY 28: After release at about 300 m AGL the pilot flew a left-hand circuit and turned final for the grass RWY 28, into a westerly wind of about 20 km/h.
4. Flare begun at about 1 m: The pilot misjudged the height and began the flare at about 1 m instead of the usual 5 m; it was not completed by the 0.5 m hold-off height.
5. Main wheel strikes the runway: Without a hold-off the glider struck the grass runway on its main wheel and bounced.
6. Sharp pull, alternating strikes: The pilot responded with a sharp pull on the stick; the glider struck the runway alternately on its tailwheel and the underside of its nose before settling on its wheel.
7. Nose and tail cone deformed: The underside of the nose and the rear fuselage ahead of the fin were deformed, and later checks found wing damage; the pilot was unhurt.