Club Libelle stalls after sudden winch stop at 15-30 m
A Club Libelle H 205 was severely damaged on a winch launch from RWY 29 at Flensburg-Schaeferhaus (Germany) and the pilot was seriously injured. Both winch operators reported the engine suddenly stopped, and witnesses saw the cable separate at 15-30 m AGL. The glider was displaced right, then tipped over the left wing and struck the ground 120 m from the launch point. A station 9 km northeast recorded westerly wind 23-28 kt. No mechanical defect was found on the winch; the pilot held 498 h total with 25 winch launches and 12 on type in the prior 90 days.
- Winch launch RWY 29 12:23 LT: At 12:23 LT on 18 July 2015 the Club Libelle H 205 began a winch launch from RWY 29 at Flensburg-Schäferhaus. An instructor and a trainee were operating a home-built winch on the south side of the airfield. Witnesses estimated wind from S/SW at about 15 kt; a station 9 km northeast recorded westerly wind of 23-28 kt at the time.
- Winch engine suddenly stops: Both winch operators reported that the engine of the home-built winch suddenly stopped during the launch. The winch was tested afterwards with police present and no functional defect was found.
- Cable separates at 15-30 m: Witnesses saw the winch cable separate from the glider at about 15-30 m above the ground. The cable, the prescribed assembly and the blue weak link (600 daN ±60) were later found intact.
- Right yaw, tips over left wing: The glider was first displaced to the right, then tipped over the left wing — a stalled departure from controlled flight following the launch interruption.
- Ground impact, fuselage breaks: The glider struck the ground about 120 m from the launch point, roughly 45 m northeast of the winch strip. The fuselage broke up at the cockpit and delaminated; the elevator's fixed surface developed a 20 cm crack on its leading edge. The pilot was seriously injured.