Janus C cable break on winch launch; nose-first impact

The front-seat pilot of a Janus C was seriously injured and the rear-seat occupant lightly injured when the glider impacted the ground in a shallow nose-down attitude after a cable break on a winch launch from grass RWY 24 at Eutingen; aircraft substantially damaged. The Janus C lifted off in the initial climb and the steel cable parted; from below 100 m AGL the glider entered a descending flight path and struck the runway about 300 m from the launch point, nose first. The cockpit was destroyed and the empennage twisted off. No technical defects were found; the investigation closed as a facts-only report with no probable cause attributed.

1. Winch launch on grass RWY 24: At about 17:39 local a Janus C club glider launched by winch from the 850 m grass RWY 24 at Eutingen, pilot in front and an occupant in the rear; wind 280 deg at 12 kt, good visibility.
2. Cable parts in initial climb: Witnesses saw the steel winch cable part shortly after lift-off, during initial climb; the glider was below 100 m AGL, leaving very little energy or height to recover and circuit back.
3. Descending flight path below 100 m AGL: From below 100 m AGL the Janus C entered a descending flight path, nose slightly down; the facts-only report describes the trajectory without attributing a specific control input.
4. Nose-first ground impact; both injured: The Janus C struck the grass runway about 300 m from the launch point, nose first; the cockpit was destroyed and the empennage twisted off. Both occupants were injured, one seriously.