What happened
On December 2, 1998, an A. Schleicher S.F.B ASK 13 glider, registered F-CECM, was performing a winch launch exercise at the Le Mazet-de-Romanin aerodrome. The flight was intended to practice an emergency landing procedure following a simulated cable break. According to the established flight briefing, the student pilot was instructed to dive, deploy airbrakes, and land straight ahead once the aircraft reached an altitude of less than 100 meters.
During the launch, the instructor released the winch cable at an altitude of approximately 40 meters. Ground observers reported seeing the glider stall with its airbasting brakes already extended. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground with a heavy nose-down attitude. The accident resulted in two injuries and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight controls and the actions of the occupants during the critical moments of the launch. The student pilot stated that the sudden release of the cable caused him to become startled. He admitted to instinctively gripping the control stick tightly, applying a control input learned from his long-term experience in hang gliding, where pulling the control bar initiates a dive. The instructor attempted to intervene and regain control of the aircraft, but these efforts were unsuccessful.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the student pilot's physical tension and improper control input during the cable release.
- The student's instinctive reaction, influenced by 18 years of hang gliding experience, led to a control movement incompatible with the glider's flight characteristics during the climb.
- The instructor's attempts to recover the aircraft from the resulting stall were ineffective.