Accidente de Club Libelle 205 durante lanzamiento con torno en Samedan resultando en fatalidad
El 12 de agosto de 1997, un Glasflügel Club Libelle 205 Mod sufrió un accidente fatal durante un lanzamiento con torno en el Aeropuerto de Samedan, Suiza. El piloto, un ciudadano suizo con significativa experiencia de vuelo, intentó un lanzamiento con torno en condiciones de viento variables. Durante la transición al ascenso, el planeador entró en pérdida y se volcó, impactando el suelo en posición invertida. El planeador fue destruido en el impacto, y el piloto sufrió heridas mortales. La investigación confirmó que el accidente resultó de una pérdida de control tras una entrada en pérdida durante el lanzamiento con torno.
- Winch launch takeoff: During a winch launch from grass runway 21 at Samedan, the glider lifted off and initially climbed away in a relatively flat attitude.
- Variable light wind: Launch took place in variable wind conditions up to about 5 kt, which were not optimal for winch launching regarding wind direction and air density.
- Limited winch experience: The pilot had relatively low recent winch-launch experience on this specific glider type, and had previously been cautioned about transitioning to climb with too low a speed.
- Transition to steep climb: As the glider, already climbing shallowly with evidently insufficient speed, entered the transition to the steeper winch climb, the pilot pitched it up as for a normal winch launch.
- Stall and roll-off: At about 50 m above ground, the airflow stalled during the transition to climb, the glider became unstable, rolled left, and went out of control.
- Inverted ground impact: The glider tipped over the left wing and impacted the hard-surface runway inverted, nose first, and was destroyed.
- Crash - fatal: The crash during the winch launch fatally injured the pilot.