Hornet first flight on type: right roll on winch climb, tip-over at 30 m
The pilot of a Glasflügel Hornet died at Scheuen on a post-annual-check test flight; the aircraft was destroyed. The pilot had about 3,100 flight hours and over 4,300 winch starts but this was his first flight on the Hornet. On a winch launch from RWY 27, witnesses saw the glider begin to roll continuously to the right with progressively increasing bank, until at about 30 m height it tipped over into a near-vertical attitude. The weak link broke during the upset. The glider impacted almost vertically about 200 m from the launch point, 70 m right of the runway centerline. No technical defects were identified.
- Winch launch RWY 27, post-check test: At about 14:20 LT the Glasflügel Hornet launches on the winch from RWY 27 of Scheuen glider airfield. The flight is a test flight after the most recent annual check.
- First flight on Hornet: The pilot, an experienced licence holder and instructor, was making his first flight on the Hornet and carried out the pre-flight and control check himself.
- Continuous right roll after liftoff: Immediately after liftoff witnesses see the glider begin to roll about its longitudinal axis to the right, with the bank angle increasing continuously during the winch climb.
- Tip-over at ~30 m; weak link breaks: At about 30 m above the ground the glider tipped from the increasingly steep right bank into a near-vertical attitude while still on the winch cable; the weak link broke during the upset.
- Near-vertical impact 200 m from start: The Hornet struck the ground almost vertically about 200 m from the launch and 70 m right of centerline; the aircraft was destroyed, the pilot fatally injured, no technical defects found.