Event Description
A glider pilot reported that after climbing to about 50 feet above ground level and reaching an airspeed of about 60 knots, the glider would not continue to climb and immediately began to descend. The pilot lowered the nose and released the tow rope to land straight ahead, but upon releasing the tow rope, the left wing raised and the aircraft drifted right between two runways.
Despite a full left control stick input, the glider continued to roll steeply right. The pilot experienced a sensation of being blown sideways and felt the tail lifting up in an uncontrollable nose-down attitude. The aircraft struck the ground on the right wing tip first, then the front nose wheel, then the tail wheel.
Damage
The glider sustained substantial damage to the undercarriage and the empennage.
Pilot and Witness Accounts
The pilot reported no anomalies with the glider and stated that he thought he had encountered a dust devil that was not in view and to the rear of the glider during takeoff. A witness reported that the glider seemed to be pushed down, though making forward progress, until it turned steeply right.