What happened
On July 18, 2024, a Schleicher ASK21 glider, registration F-CHMF, was performing a winch takeoff at the Orléans - Saint-Denis-de-l’Hôtel aerodrome. The flight was an instructional session involving an instructor and a student pilot, marking the student's first flight of the season.
During the rotation phase, while the aircraft was only a few meters above the ground, the winch cable separated from the glider. Following the separation, the student pilot reacted by extending the airbasting before attempting to correct the aircraft's pitch. The instructor, who had intentionally delayed taking control for a brief moment to allow the student to react, then intervened to retract the airbrakes and push the stick forward to gain airspeed. Despite these efforts, the glider struck the ground heavily ten seconds after the initial takeoff sequence began. The accident resulted in one serious injury to the instructor and one injury to the student pilot, with the glider sustaining slight damage.
The investigation
The investigation relied on statements from the crew and security camera footage from the aerodrome. The instructor, an experienced pilot with over 700 flight hours, noted that the pre-flight inspection had been completed and the cable hook and shear pin appeared intact. The winch operator reported no technical malfunctions during the launch.
The investigation examined the crew's reactions to the cable separation. It was noted that the instructor's decision to wait a "pedagogical second" to allow the student to manage the emergency contributed to the difficulty in maintaining flight path control. Additionally, the investigation reviewed the student's training and the specific safety briefing used prior to the flight.
Findings
Several factors contributed to the hard landing following the untimely separation of the winch cable:
- The instructor's decision to delay taking control to allow the student to react, which was inappropriate given the very low altitude.
- The student pilot's lack of recent experience, as this was his first flight of the season.
- The student pilot's instinctive action to extend the airbrakes, which increased drag and reduced lift before sufficient airspeed had been regained.
- A failure to immediately pitch the nose down to establish an optimum approach speed.
Safety action
The Les Planeurs d'Orléans association has issued a safety bulletin to improve instructional procedures. The new guidelines mandate that in the event of a cable break at low altitude, the instructor must take immediate control. Furthermore, the association now requires that pre-takeoff safety briefings include a physical demonstration of the required stick movements to ensure these actions become instinctive reflexes.