Puchacz student held elevator full-aft on winch launch

During the student's first training winch launch at Friedersdorf, the instructor and student of a Puchacz SZD-50-3 were seriously injured. After liftoff the nosewheel hit a grass mound; the student pulled the stick fully aft and held it. The glider pitched into a steep climb and the instructor could not push forward with both hands. The cable released at about 45 m AGL; with no recovery the glider rolled right and impacted nose-first. Investigators noted a tail-heavy trim, a light student near the minimum weight, and thick compressible seat cushions as contributing factors.

1. First training winch launch: The Puchacz began a winch launch from RWY 12 at Sonderlandeplatz Friedersdorf at 12:15, flown by an instructor and a student pilot.
2. Student locks stick fully aft: Immediately after liftoff the nosewheel struck a grass mound; the student pulled the control stick fully aft and held it locked, causing a steep climb within about 3 seconds.
3. Aft trim + light student + cushions: Elevator trim was set tail-heavy; the student, about 50 kg, was below the 55 kg minimum front-seat weight, with seat cushions compressible from 18 cm to about 6 cm.
4. Instructor unable to override: The instructor tried pushing the stick forward with both hands and repeatedly told the student to release the controls, but the student did not respond.
5. Cable releases at ~45 m: At about 45 m height the winch cable detached from the glider's hook; no nose-down recovery was observed and the aircraft remained in a high angle-of-attack condition.
6. Spin-like roll, nose-first impact: The glider rolled right, entered a shallow spin-like rotation, and struck the ground nose-first at a shallow angle; both occupants were seriously injured and it was destroyed.