SZD-50-3 Puchacz spins from mid-launch winch power loss

A 76 y/o student pilot of an SZD-50-3 Puchacz was seriously injured when the glider stalled at 100-150 m AGL on a winch launch with weakening cable pull; it tipped over the left wing into a spin and was destroyed in pine forest off the runway. The cable had briefly slackened earlier at 40-50 m before recovering. The instructor radioed release and recovery — no response observed; the cable separated just before impact. The Herkules H 4 winch's emergency shutoff lever was found displaced toward "off" with its safety wire open; bench tests reproduced RPM drops. No glider defects. Per type handbook the Puchacz loses ~80 m per spin rotation.

1. Winch launch training in Puchacz: Training flight at Schönhagen using a winch launch in a Puchacz; the first two launches that day had been uneventful.
2. Winch emergency-shutoff lever displaced: Inspection found the winch's emergency-shutoff lever displaced toward 'off' with its safety lock open; bench tests reproduced RPM drops in that position, likely from unintentional movement.
3. Cable pull weakens at 100-150 m AGL: A brief slack at 40-50 m AGL recovered, but at ~150 m AGL winch power suddenly dropped with the throttle full; the cable sagged, climb angle reduced, and airspeed fell to about 60 km/h.
4. Left wing drops; spin entry: From the ground the aircraft was seen to tip over the left wing into a spin or spin-like state. The pilot did not push forward to break the stall and did not decide on a launch abort.
5. Instructor recovery calls unanswered: The instructor radioed cable-release and spin-recovery instructions; no response was observed from the student. The cable was found released from the aircraft just before impact.
6. Forest impact ~100 m off runway: After several spin rotations the aircraft struck the ground in pine forest about 100 m from the runway, was destroyed, and the pilot was seriously injured, with no technical defects found.