Centrair 101 crashes after taking off with its elevator disconnected

The pilot of a Centrair 101 was seriously injured when the glider pitched down and hit the ground shortly after an aerotow takeoff from Hartness State Airport, its elevator control never connected. Distracted during assembly, the pilot had not linked the elevator; he realised the pitch control was missing once airborne and released from tow, but the glider nosed down into the ground. The fuselage and tail boom were substantially damaged.

1. Preflight assembly: Before the flight, the pilot assembled the Centrair 101A glider in preparation for an aerotow departure from Hartness State Airport.
2. Elevator not connected: During assembly the pilot became distracted and failed to connect the elevator control system, leaving the elevator control unavailable for the flight.
3. Aerotow takeoff: The glider commenced an aerotow takeoff and became airborne with the elevator control not connected.
4. Tow release after issue: Once airborne, the pilot realized there was no elevator control authority and immediately released the glider from the tow airplane.
5. Uncontrolled nose-down: After tow release, the glider entered an uncontrolled nose-down attitude due to the lack of elevator control.
6. Crash - serious injury: The glider impacted the ground, causing substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom and seriously injuring the pilot.