Jantar Standard 2 stalls and spins in winch launch rotation

The pilot of an SZD-48-1 Jantar Standard 2 was fatally injured when the glider stalled and spun into the ground during the early phase of a winch launch at Long Mynd; aircraft destroyed. After a normal ground roll the glider stayed low slightly longer than usual, then pitched up sharply; at around 30 m AGL the left wing dropped and the glider rotated to the left, descending rapidly until impact ~345 m from the launch point. The pilot had 53 h total with 2 h on type. The probable cause was a larger pitch control input than appropriate during rotation, producing a rapid rotation rate; the stall was unrecoverable from the height available.

1. Winch launch, RWY 36L: A privately owned SZD-48-1 Jantar Standard 2 began a winch launch from RWY 36L at Long Mynd for a local flight. Surface wind was from the north-east at ~28 km/h. The pilot held a BGA Bronze certificate with 53 h total (2 h on type, 38 h in the last 90 days) and had recently acquired a share in the glider, having flown it three times prior. The launch winch was operated by an experienced professional driver who applied the standard amount of power for this glider type.
2. Larger pitch input than appropriate: After lift-off the glider stayed low slightly longer than usual, then pitched up very sharply into a steeper than normal attitude. The probable cause was a pitch control input larger than appropriate during rotation, producing a rapid pitch rotation rate which raised the effective stall speed.
3. Stall and left wing drop ~30 m AGL: At around 30 m AGL the left wing was seen to drop while the glider was in the steep nose-up attitude. The Jantar Standard 2 has a 1g stalling speed of ~64 km/h, which increases significantly with rotation rate.
4. Left rotation, rapid descent: The glider continued rotating to the left and descended rapidly, consistent with autorotation following the stall. The winch driver applied the winch brake and shut off the winch when it became clear the launch would not recover.
5. Ground impact left of centreline: The glider struck the ground ~345 m from the threshold of RWY 36L and ~120 m left of the extended centreline. The pilot was fatally injured and the aircraft destroyed. Wreckage examination found no evidence of pre-existing mechanical defects, asymmetric spoiler deployment, or ASI error; the stall and loss of control were unrecoverable from the height available.