Cobra 15 winch-launch loss of control on owner-pilot's barely-flown type

The owner-pilot of an SZD-36 Cobra 15 was killed when it rolled off and dived into the runway from a steep winch climb at Schmoldow; aircraft destroyed, a parked Puchacz seriously damaged. Licensed only weeks earlier, the pilot had bought the wooden T-tail glider three months before with no type checkout — 1:55 h and 10 winch starts on type. It lifted off normally on its third launch; at about 20–30 m AGL the climb reached ≤45° pitch, the glider briefly yawed right then left, rolled off over the left wing, and pitched into a near-vertical dive beside the parked Puchacz.

1. Third winch launch, normal start: Third winch launch of the day, cable in the CG hook at full power; ground witnesses and the winch operator saw no irregularities through liftoff on the 900 m grass strip.
2. Recently licensed pilot: The pilot's licence had been issued less than a month before the accident, following interrupted training begun in 1996 and resumed at the club in 2016.
3. Limited type time, no checkout: The pilot had bought the Cobra 15 two months earlier and received no type-familiarization briefing from the previous owner; the club's training leader had also flown it only once.
4. Vintage high-performance type: 1974 wooden single-seat 15 m competition glider. T-tail with strongly-swept fin and a pendulum (all-flying) elevator — sensitive in pitch and yaw.
5. Low-altitude directional upset: At about 20–30 m AGL during the climb at ≤45° pitch, the glider briefly yawed right then left around the vertical axis.
6. Wing drop, near-vertical dive: The glider rolled off over the left wing into a near-vertical nose-down attitude; the winch cable broke at the winch end during this sequence, its timing relative to the upset undetermined.
7. Runway impact - fatal: The glider struck the runway near-vertically beside a parked two-seat Puchacz, destroying itself and fatally injuring the pilot; the Puchacz was seriously damaged by debris.