Olympia pilot slides through a loose harness in an out-of-control dive

The pilot of an EoN Olympia 460 was fatally injured when the glider dived out of control near Parham and the left wing separated; aircraft destroyed. From a gentle turn at ~900 m AGL the pitch-sensitive glider, CG near the aft limit, pitched violently past the vertical into a dive. The pilot, light and slightly built, slid forward through the loose harness under the dive loads, pushing the control column forward; three brief pull-up attempts failed. On the third, at ~150 m AGL, the overstressed left wing failed in torsion and broke away. No control obstruction was found, CG within limits; ground tests reproduced the harness slide-through.

1. Cruise thermaling flight: After an aerotow launch at 1145 hrs, the pilot cruised and soared locally for about three hours in good conditions near Parham.
2. Sudden nose-down pitch: While in a gentle right turn at about 3000 feet agl, the glider abruptly pitched violently nose-down to well past the vertical.
3. Aft CG and sensitive pitch: The aircraft type was known to be sensitive in pitch, with this flight’s centre of gravity towards the aft limit, increasing susceptibility to pitch disturbances.
4. Loose harness fit: Post-accident tests showed that with the harness as found, a small pilot could slide through the loose straps in a vertical attitude, pushing the column forward and losing control.
5. Uncontrolled vertical dives: From around 2000 feet agl the glider remained near-vertical in a high-speed dive, with three brief, unsuccessful pitch-up attempts that did not achieve a sustained recovery.
6. Left wing structural failure: At an estimated 500 feet agl, during the third brief pitch-up, the left wing suffered a torsional and downward bending overload failure and separated in flight at roughly 600–800 feet.
7. Crash - fatal: The fuselage and remaining right wing continued almost vertically down and impacted dense woodland, destroying the glider and fatally injuring the pilot.