Nimbus-3 cartwheels on winch launch after an early wing-tip strike

A pilot was fatally injured when a Nimbus-3 cartwheeled during a winch launch in Scotland and came to rest inverted; the glider was destroyed. Early in the launch the right wingtip touched the grass and the glider veered right; the tip dragged along the ground, the left wing lifted and it cartwheeled. The cable was not released until recovery was already impossible. The release handle sat where the pilot probably could not both hold it and keep full roll control; an offset launch position and a gusty crosswind added to the right-wing drag. Three safety recommendations were made on cable-release controls not restricting the flying controls.

1. Winch launch, low recent currency: A Nimbus-3 with a long 25.5 m span began a winch launch at Portmoak in a gusty crosswind; its experienced pilot had flown only about an hour in the previous three months.
2. Glider set well off the cable line: To avoid soft ground the pilot had positioned the glider about 31 m to one side of the winch cable, so the launch began with a pull to the right.
3. Right wingtip drops onto the grass: Soon after the pull started the wing holder could not keep up; the long right wing dropped and its tip ran along the ground, adding drag that turned the glider further right.
4. Cable not released in time: The release handle's location meant the pilot probably could not hold it and keep full roll authority; the cable stayed on as the situation ran away.
5. Left wing lifts, glider gets airborne: With the right tip dragging, the left wing lifted and the glider briefly left the ground at a steep right bank; the cable back-released at about 6 m above the ground.
6. Cartwheels and comes to rest inverted: The glider cartwheeled about the right wing and struck the ground nose-down and inverted; the pilot was fatally injured and the glider destroyed.