DG 500 hits hangar after low release and unrecoverable right turn

A student pilot was fatally injured and the instructor seriously injured when a DG 500 Elan Trainer struck a hangar after an inadvertent tow release on training aerotow; glider heavily damaged. At ~30 m AGL the student pulled the tow-release knob, likely mistaking it for the adjacent rudder-pedal adjuster; hook tests excluded mechanical fault. The instructor took control intending a straight-ahead landing, but the student forced a climbing right turn toward the hangars. Speed bled to ~100 km/h; the glider stalled and struck the hangar at ~20° right bank. The student, unbelted at impact, was ejected. Mass/CG and weather were not factors.

1. Aerotow training, RWY 03: Dual-instruction camp at the field; instructor in rear seat, student in front. Aerotow from RWY 03 in calm conditions.
2. Inadvertent tow release at ~30 m AGL: At about 30 m AGL the student pulled the tow-release knob, likely mistaking it for the pedal adjuster ~15 cm away; hook tests excluded a fault, as opening needed a deliberate pull.
3. Below safe turn-back altitude: The glider was about 30 m AGL, well below the roughly 80 m minimum for a turn-back; standard procedure for a low release was to continue straight to a clear area off the end of RWY 03.
4. Instructor calls "my control": Immediately after the release, the instructor announced "my control" / "ich flüge" intending to continue straight to the open ground beyond the runway end.
5. Student forces climbing right turn: Within seconds the student abruptly applied aileron and elevator, initiating a steep climbing right turn toward the wooded area with the hangars; the instructor could not counter it.
6. Speed bleed to ~100 km/h; stall: The glider climbed ~15 m over the first trees in strong right bank; speed bled from ~120–130 to ~100 km/h and it stalled ~20 m above the canopy, beyond recovery.
7. Hangar impact — fatal: After more than a half-turn back toward the field, the glider struck the hangar at about 20° right bank; the unbelted student was ejected and fatally injured, the instructor seriously.