Incident Details
During an aerotow takeoff, a glider pilot reported becoming distracted by something inside the cockpit. Upon looking back outside, he observed that his glider was approximately 100 feet higher than the tow airplane. The pilot stated that he attempted to correct the situation, but the tow hook released on its own. Subsequently, the pilot turned the glider to the left, and the left wing impacted the ground. The glider came to rest in brush.
Pilot Report
The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. No other contributing factors were identified by the pilot.
Damage
The glider sustained substantial damage to the fuselage as a result of the accident sequence.
General Information from FAA Handbook
The Federal Aviation Administration's Glider Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-13A, in the "Normal Assisted Takeoff" section, states that one of the most dangerous occurrences during aerotow is allowing the glider to fly high above and losing sight of the towplane. It explains that tension on the towline caused by the glider pulls the towplane's tail up, lowering its nose. If the glider continues to rise, pulling the towplane's tail higher, the tow pilot may not be able to raise the nose. Ultimately, the tow pilot may run out of up elevator authority.