Club Libelle stalls turning back low after a tow weak-link break
The pilot of a Club Libelle 205 was seriously injured when the glider stalled turning back after a launch failure at Les Eplatures; aircraft destroyed. On an aerotow home, the glider-side weak link — degraded by earlier tows — snapped at 20–30 m over the runway. The glider ran on briefly, then the pilot turned almost 180° left at very low height; speed decayed, it stalled and dived steeply, left wing first. Some 250 m of runway plus 150 m of open ground lay ahead — a straight landing had a fair chance — but buildings, slopes and airport structures likely prompted the turn. The link's insufficient strength, hard to detect, contributed.
- Aerotow takeoff: The Club Libelle 205 began an aerotow takeoff from runway 06 with a headwind of 10–15 kt, climbing normally behind the Robin towplane.
- Damaged weak link: The towrope fusible link on the glider side had been rapidly degraded by prior use and impacts, with partial wire breaks that were difficult to detect visually.
- Weak link failure: At about 20–30 m above the runway, abeam the control tower, the towrope's fusible link on the glider side failed without any noticeable jerk, disconnecting the glider from the towplane.
- Low-altitude turn back: Instead of continuing straight ahead, the pilot initiated an almost 180-degree left turn at very low height, likely influenced by airport installations, wooded slopes, and buildings ahead.
- Stall and nose-down: During the steep left turn the glider’s airspeed decayed, it stalled and entered a very steep nose-down flight path toward the ground.
- Crash - serious injury: The left wing and then the nose struck the ground near the runway, destroying the glider and seriously injuring the pilot.