ASW 24 E winch cable break at 60 m — return turn instead of straight-ahead landing
After a winch cable break at Dillingen/Saar, the pilot of an ASW 24 E was seriously injured and the aircraft destroyed. At about 60 m AGL both weak links failed. Instead of landing straight ahead per low-altitude break guidance, the pilot attempted a return, passing the hangar and winch before turning northwest. At 20-30 m AGL the glider banked sharply left, struck a tree with the left wing, rotated, and impacted nose-first on a field track 860 m from launch. No technical defects were found. Last cable-break practice had been two years prior, and this was the first solo of the season.
- Winch launch climb: Winch launch from Dillingen/Saar RWY 06 at 15:01; climbed to a peak of ~67 m AGL. Pilot had 2 992 h on type but had not flown a cable-break exercise since 2020; this was his first solo flight of 2022.
- Cable break at ~60 m: Tow cable failed; both weak links (including the red reserve) broke. No defects found on the winch or rope.
- Return turn attempted: Glider flew past the hangar to the south and the winch to the east, then turned northwest back toward the strip — contrary to the SBO's straight-ahead recommendation for low-altitude breaks.
- Wing drop at 20–30 m AGL: The glider banked sharply to the left and lost height rapidly; sink rate reached ~15 m/s with about 37° bank at the last GPS point.
- Tree strike with left wing: Left wing contacted a tree, causing rotation around the vertical axis.
- Nose-first ground impact: Aircraft struck a field track ~860 m from the launch point, nose-first; aircraft destroyed; pilot seriously injured (arm, leg, ankle, back).