SZD-30 Pirat dragged down by trailing winch cable snagged on perimeter fence

An SZD-30 Pirat was dragged into the ground short of RWY 25 when a trailing winch cable snagged on a perimeter fence post; the pilot (~100 h) was fatally injured; aircraft destroyed. During the ground roll the skid picked up the idle second cable, jammed by a pre-existing rivet failure. At 250-300 m AGL the active cable released and the winch driver cut the second cable, but ~27 m stayed attached. The pilot, informed by radio only after release, flew left circuits at low speed when the trailing cable caught on a fence post 382 m north and yanked the glider to a halt at ~30 m AGL. Cables had not been laid out with the required 15 m separation.

1. Private flight; double-drum winch op: Pilot (licensed since 1994, ~100 h) launching for a private flight at Schönebeck-Zackmünde (12:50 takeoff) on a double-drum winch; the second drum's cable was laid out on the field.
2. Cables not separated to 15 m at startup: Regulations required about 15 m separation between the ready-to-launch glider and idle cables; the idle cable's end was found only about 15 m away, across the ground-roll path.
3. Pre-existing skid damage retained cable: The tail skid was missing a rivet from earlier unreported damage; as the glider rolled over the second cable, it wedged in the skid fitting instead of slipping free.
4. Release with cable still attached: The instructor noticed the trailing cable just after liftoff and had the winch driver cut it; at 250-300 m AGL the active cable released, but about 27 m of cable stayed attached to the skid.
5. Low-speed circuits with trailing cable: Informed by radio only after release, the pilot flew a left downwind, then a second left turn over the hangars crossing the runway; despite advice to increase speed, the glider stayed slow.
6. Trailing cable snags fence post 382 m N: While flying crosswind to RWY 25, the 27 m cable caught on a concrete fence post around the hangar enclosure (382 m north of the impact point); ~30 m AGL.
7. Yanked to a halt at 30 m AGL; fatal: The glider stopped abruptly, right wing slightly low, and struck the ground 30 m short of the runway threshold. The pilot was fatally injured and the aircraft destroyed.