Glider cartwheels after wing drop during winch launch

A winch launch ended with a Schleicher ASW 20L glider cartwheeling inverted, fatally injuring the pilot. During the ground run a wing walker had to push the left wing down to keep the wings level; on release the glider became airborne almost immediately and its right wingtip touched the ground. It yawed, rolled rapidly to the right and somersaulted onto its canopy, and the winch cable was never released. The tail broke off on impact, so the canopy — instead of the fin acting as a roll-over structure — bore the ground strike, leaving the pilot's head unprotected.

1. Winch launch: The glider began a winch launch — a second attempt after an aborted first.
2. Right wingtip touched ground: As the glider lifted off, its right wingtip contacted the ground.
3. Yaw and rapid right roll: The glider yawed and rolled rapidly to the right.
4. Winch cable not released: The cable was never released and stayed attached to the glider throughout the sequence.
5. Somersaulted inverted: The glider pitched nose-down and somersaulted onto its canopy.
6. Tail broke; canopy took impact: The tail broke off, so the canopy bore the ground impact instead of the fin acting as roll-over protection.
7. Pilot fatally injured: The pilot sustained severe head injuries and died four days later.