ASW 19 elevator Hotellier coupling left undone; pilot bails out after launch

On 5 July 2009 a Schleicher ASW 19 began a winch launch from Quakenbrück (Germany) at ~12:20 LT. On takeoff roll the pilot heard a rattle from the rear fuselage; the elevator then stopped responding and he radioed the launch. At ~300 m the cable left the hook and the glider levelled off. The pilot jettisoned the canopy and parachuted down uninjured. The unmanned glider entered an inverted spin and crashed in a cornfield, destroyed. Investigation: the Hotellier elevator coupling had been left disengaged at rigging — the standard stick check does not catch this, as stick movement remains possible with the elevator disconnected.

1. Winch launch, runway 10/28: Around 12:20 LT the ASW 19 began a winch launch from Quakenbrück airfield (1,200 m winch run, runway 10/28 grass) in VFR conditions with light wind from 280°.
2. Hotellier coupling left disengaged: At rigging the elevator's Hotellier ball-and-socket coupling was not engaged. The pre-flight control check was visual at the stick only; per the manufacturer, stick movement remains possible with the elevator disconnected — the elevator stays in neutral under airflow — so a visible check at the stick does not reveal the fault.
3. Rattle from rear fuselage on roll: During the ground roll the pilot heard a clattering noise from the rear fuselage area.
4. Elevator unresponsive in climb: Shortly after liftoff the pilot noticed the elevator did not respond to stick inputs; he reported the loss of pitch control to the launch crew by radio.
5. Cable separates at ~300 m: At about 300 m altitude the winch cable left the launch hook and the glider transitioned to level flight; the pilot still had no pitch control.
6. Pilot bails out under parachute: The pilot jettisoned the canopy and exited the aircraft, descending under his rescue parachute and landing uninjured.
7. Unmanned glider enters inverted spin: With no pilot aboard the glider departed controlled flight into an inverted spin (Rückentrudeln).
8. Crash into cornfield — destroyed: The glider impacted a cornfield about 1 km in line with the runway and was destroyed. Pilot uninjured.