SF 34 cable break at 80 m: turnback stalls in steep correction
On 24 May 2010 the pilot of an SF 34 was fatally injured and the passenger seriously injured in a crash during a winch launch at Elz (Germany). At ~80–100 m AGL the cable weak link broke. After lowering the nose, the pilot turned right then initiated a left reversal back toward RWY 08 (opposite the launch). The turn overshot the approach line; in trying to realign, the pilot banked steeply. With low height and reduced speed, the left wing stalled and the glider entered a spin-like descent, impacting near-vertically on a wooded slope south of the RWY 08 threshold. Pilot fatally injured, passenger seriously injured, aircraft destroyed.
- Winch launch climb: During a winch launch from RWY 26 at Elz, the SF 34 climbed normally with slight right drift correction in a right crosswind.
- Weak link failure at ~80–100 m: Shortly after the pilot radioed to reduce winch speed, the winch cable weak link failed at about 80–100 m AGL and the cable broke.
- Nose down, brief straight-ahead: After the cable break, the pilot lowered the nose to regain airspeed and continued briefly straight ahead without changing heading.
- Low-altitude turnback decision: The pilot then turned right into wind and initiated a left reversal turn intending to return to the airfield and land opposite the launch direction on RWY 08.
- Overshoot, steep bank to realign: During the reversal, the glider overshot the RWY 08 approach line and the pilot increased bank angle significantly in an attempt to realign with the final approach path.
- Stall in steep low-level turn: With the steep bank at low height, the airspeed dropped below the required minimum, causing an aerodynamic stall of the left wing and a subsequent steep, spin-like descent.
- Vertical impact on wooded slope: The glider impacted almost vertically into a wooded steep slope just south of the RWY 08 threshold, destroying the aircraft, fatally injuring the pilot, and seriously injuring the passenger.