Hornet first flight on type: right roll on winch climb, tip-over at 30 m

On 2 August 2008 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.

1. 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.
2. First flight on Hornet: The pilot held a glider licence since 1974 and an instructor rating, with about 3,100 flight hours and 4,337 winch starts overall — 42 of those in the last 90 days. This is his first flight on the Hornet; he carried out the pre-flight and control check himself.
3. 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.
4. Tip-over at ~30 m; weak link breaks: At about 30 m above the ground the glider tips over from the increasingly steep right bank into a near-vertical attitude while still on the winch cable. The weak link breaks during the upset; the cable end remains attached to the aircraft.
5. Near-vertical impact 200 m from start: The Hornet impacts the ground almost vertically about 200 m from the launch point and 70 m right of the runway centerline. First contact is with the nose of the fuselage; the cockpit is destroyed and the tail is twisted off, and the wing structure is broken in several places. The aircraft is destroyed and the pilot is fatally injured. Examination finds no technical defects.