What happened
On 17 September 2022, a Centrair 201-B glider, registered F-CBLG, was performing a winch launch at the Graul and Montdragon aerodrome in France. During the initial climb, at an altitude of approximately 80 meters, the connection cable failed. The pilot immediately released the cable and pitched the aircraft nose-down to regain airspeed, which had dropped from 100 km/h to roughly 70 km/h.
Following the failure, the aircraft drifted to the right. The pilot attempted to execute a turn to land on the reciprocal runway heading. During this maneuver, the aircraft overshot the centerline of the unpaved runway. Finding the aircraft too low to reach the unpaved strip and attempting to avoid helicopters parked near the runway edge, the pilot attempted to land on the paved runway. During the final approach, the aircraft encountered downdrafts and likely stalled during the flare. The glider's main landing gear and left wing struck the ground, causing the fuselage to break apart as the aircraft slid approximately 100 meters toward the parking area. There were no fatalities, though the glider was destroyed.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the failure of the winch-glider connection and the pilot's decision-making during the aborted launch. Investigators examined the rope, which broke 130 mm from its knotted end on the glider side. While a wear zone was identified near the weak links, the specific cause of the rope's rupture could not be determined. The investigation also reviewed the configuration of the winch cable assembly and compared it to the standards set by the Centre National de Vol à Voile (CNVV).
Findings
- The cable failure occurred at an altitude of approximately 80 meters.
- The pilot's decision to attempt a turn to the reciprocal runway heading, rather than landing straight ahead as recommended for low-altitude aborts, contributed to the accident.
- The aircraft likely stalled during the flare due to low airspeed and encountered downdrafts during the maneuver.
- The winch cable installation did not comply with CNVV recommendations because it lacked a rope strop, a component designed to prevent the cable from interfering with the tailplane during a weak link failure.