DG 300 Elan stall after cable break — student solo, club untrained for low failure

A 19-year-old student pilot on a solo winch launch in a DG 300 Elan crashed near Kronach and was fatally injured. At about 50-70 m AGL the tow cable separated. After a brief left turn the student initiated a steep right turn back at ~35 m, deploying and retracting the airbrakes; after ~130° of turn the glider stalled, dropped off the right wing from ~20 m, and impacted the ground. The club had not practiced low-level winch launch failures with students as required by DAeC methodology — it only simulated recovery from the landing approach, a fundamentally different scenario.

1. Winch launch climb: The student pilot began a solo winch launch from Kronach airfield for a planned circuit in good weather conditions.
2. Tow rope separation: At an altitude of approximately 50–70 m, the winch tow rope unexpectedly detached from the glider during the initial climb.
3. Low height after release: The rope separation occurred at very low altitude, leaving limited height and time to manage the launch interruption.
4. Inadequate seilriss training: Rope-break procedures had only been simulated from the landing approach rather than practiced as required, leaving the pilot without realistic training for a low-level interruption.
5. Turn back toward field: After a brief left turn, the pilot began a steep 130° right turn back toward the airfield, intermittently extending and retracting the airbrakes at about 35 m height.
6. Stall and wing drop: During the steep right turn at low altitude, the glider stalled and rolled off over the right wing from about 20 m height, leading to an uncontrolled descent.
7. Crash - fatal: The glider impacted the ground near the northwestern boundary of the airfield and was destroyed, fatally injuring the student pilot.