ASW 19B hard landing after winch cable snag at Samedan
On May 21, 1988, an Alexander Schleicher ASW 19B experienced a hard landing at Samedan Airport during a winch launch. A second winch cable became entangled with the tailwheel of the glider, affecting its climb performance. The pilot released the launch cable at approximately 140 meters altitude, but the glider was difficult to control due to the open parachute of the second cable. The aircraft landed hard beside the runway, resulting in significant damage, but the pilot was uninjured. The investigation highlighted insufficient spacing between winch cables and poor ground organization as contributing factors.
- Winch launch takeoff: The pilot began a winch launch in ASW 19B HB-1856 from runway 03 at Samedan for a local soaring flight.
- Second cable snags tail: During the initial climb, the parallel second winch cable, with its parachute still attached, became caught on the glider’s tail skid.
- Insufficient cable spacing: The second winch cable had been laid out only about 2.5 m from the launch cable and not moved farther away when the first cable was attached to the glider.
- Poor ground organization: Ground personnel left the second cable’s parachute attached and allowed people to remain near the second cable, indicating inadequate awareness and organization of winch launch hazards.
- Pilot releases launch cable: Noticing poor climb performance, the pilot released the primary launch cable at about 140 m above ground.
- Control severely limited: With the second cable’s open parachute trailing, the glider’s controllability was greatly reduced due to the stabilizing and drag effects.
- Hard landing - damage: The glider impacted the ground hard to the right of runway 03, sustaining severe damage while the pilot remained uninjured.