ASW 19 stuck on winch cable; cutter fails, glider yanked into bushes

After a winch launch failure at Kirn, the pilot of an ASW 19 was uninjured but the glider substantially damaged. The climb was normal, but at release height the cable would not detach from the hook; the double ring pair had been mis-hooked into a gap beside the hook — detectable by a visual check. The winch driver's rope cutter was itself defective (deficiencies recorded at a check months earlier) and did not sever the cable. The pilot tried to stay near the winch to keep the cable slack. On low approach the cable snagged in bushes and pulled the ASW 19 from ~5 m AGL to the ground; the fuselage tube broke ahead of the empennage.

1. Winch launch from RWY 14: A single-seat ASW 19 began a normal winch launch from RWY 14 of Segelflugplatz Kirn, witnessed as normal up to release altitude with no other aircraft involved.
2. Ring pair mis-hooked beside hook: The double ring pair had been hooked into a gap beside the actual hook opening, a faulty connection detectable by a pre-launch visual check, preventing normal release.
3. Cable will not release at top: On reaching release altitude the winch driver ended the launch, but the cable did not detach from the tow hook; the pilot radioed asking for the cable to be cut.
4. Winch cutter defective, cut fails: The winch driver activated the rope cutter, but it failed to sever the cable, and the pilot was told by radio that cutting the cable was not possible.
5. Cable snags bushes; yanked from 5 m: Unable to release, the pilot tried to stay close to the winch, but on the low approach the cable snagged in bushes near the runway end, yanking the glider down from about 5 m AGL.
6. Fuselage broken ahead of fin; no injury: On impact the fuselage tube broke just ahead of the empennage. The pilot was uninjured. After the landing, while the glider rolled out, the cable released from the hook on its own.