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.

1. Winch launch RWY 29 12:23 LT: At 12:23 on 18 July 2015 a Club Libelle H 205 began a winch launch from RWY 29 at Flensburg-Schäferhaus, using a home-built winch; wind was estimated at about 15 kt from the S/SW.
2. Winch engine suddenly stops: Both winch operators reported that the home-built winch's engine suddenly stopped during the launch; a later test with police present found no functional defect.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Ground impact, fuselage breaks: The glider struck the ground about 120 m from the launch point; the fuselage broke up at the cockpit and the elevator cracked at the leading edge. The pilot was seriously injured.