What happened
On August 8, 2017, a student pilot was performing her third winch launch of the day at the Augsburg aerodrome. The flight was conducted in a Grob G 103 A “TWIN II ACRO” glider, under the supervision of a flight instructor. At an altitude of approximately 100 to 150 meters, the launch was interrupted when the tow rope snapped.
Following the rope break, the pilot transitioned the aircraft into a normal flight attitude and deployed the airbrakes. As the aircraft approached the ground, the pilot determined that the available landing area within the aerodrome boundaries—which is bordered to the west by a stream and dense bushes—was insufficient for a safe landing. Consequently, she decided to aim for a meadow located to the left of the takeoff direction.
Although the flight instructor recognized that an off-field landing was necessary, he did not intervene via radio due to the low altitude of the aircraft. During the approach to the meadow, the pilot retracted the airbrolkes. The glider's left wing subsequently struck heavy vegetation, causing the aircraft to impact the ground with a significant yaw to the left. The impact resulted in one person being seriously injured and caused heavy damage to the aircraft.
The investigation
The BFU investigation examined the aircraft, the site of the accident, and the circumstances of the flight. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft's structural components, including the control linkages, showed no signs of technical failure. The wreckage analysis revealed that the tail unit had been torn from the fuselage and the left wing skin had ruptured upon contact with branches from the bushes. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's training records, noting she had completed 113 solo takeoffs and had practiced rope-break procedures with an instructor the previous day.