What happened
On June 4, 2015, a Cirrus-VTC glider was participating in a week-long flying camp at the Ottenglar Heide airfield. At 18:11 local time, the pilot attempted a local flight via a glider tow departure from runway 10. An initial takeoff attempt had been aborted earlier that day because the pilot accidentally activated the release mechanism.
During the second takeoff attempt, the aircraft initially taxied normally. However, after liftoff, the glider began to veer to the right while being towed via the center-of-gravity coupling. The aircraft subsequently drifted back toward the centerline of the runway, but the landing gear made contact with the asphalt surface. As the aircraft continued, the tow plane passed over the glider, and the glider began to roll around its longitudinal axis to the right. The aircraft settled into a supine position, with the right wingtip striking the ground first before the glider impacted the grass strip adjacent to the runway.
The investigation
The BFU examined the wreckage and the flight conditions. The investigation confirmed that the glider sustained heavy structural damage, including a broken fuselage behind the wings and destroyed cockpit glazing. The tow rope had snapped, with the ring pair and a section of rope found 30 meters ahead of the aircraft. The investigation found no evidence of technical defects in the Cirrus-VTC.