Canard 2FL crash at Löwenberg-Hüsliberg results in fatality

On December 5, 1979, a Canard Aviation Canard 2FL crashed at Löwenberg-Hüsliberg, Switzerland, during a test flight. The pilot, performing his first flight in this aircraft, lost control shortly after takeoff. The glider executed a series of abrupt maneuvers, including a half-roll and a backward slide, before crashing. The pilot was killed on impact, and the aircraft was destroyed. The official report cited loss of control as the cause, with contributing factors including inadequate piloting and unconventional flight characteristics.

1. Bungee launch initial climb: The pilot began his first flight in the Canard 2FL HB-3002 with a bungee launch from the Zaugerli/Hüsliberg slope, climbing away normally after liftoff.
2. Abrupt roll maneuver: After several shallow turns with large control inputs, the pilot applied full right roll control and then deflected the canard to the right, causing the aircraft to pitch down and enter a brusque half-roll into inverted flight.
3. Unconventional handling: The aircraft had unorthodox flight characteristics and a non-conventional control system, including strong adverse yaw and sensitive front-vector/side control forces that were unfamiliar to the pilot.
4. Inadequate pilot technique: Despite prior warnings from the factory test pilot, the pilot used excessively large control inputs and may have had reduced fitness to fly, contributing to loss of control.
5. Inverted climb and rearward slide: In inverted attitude the glider pitched up into a back-side climb, then transitioned into a rearward, tail-first slide from about 50–60 m above ground, with the cockpit canopy separating early in the maneuver.
6. Structural failure low altitude: As the rearward, near-vertical descent steepened, the canard wing folded upward about 25 m above ground and the left outer main wing section buckled rearwards, leading to an uncontrollable nose-down tumble.
7. Crash - fatal: The Canard 2FL impacted the Löwenberg/Hüsliberg alp meadow in a slightly inverted attitude with the canard leading, fatally injuring the pilot and destroying the glider.