Caproni Calif turns back after a low tow release and hits a solar farm

Both occupants of a Caproni Calif were injured and the glider destroyed when it turned back after an early tow release at Aspres-sur-Buëch and struck a solar-panel field. At about 30 m the towplane had brief engine trouble; the glider pilot released and turned straight back without checking his height or speed. The right wing caught the fence around an adjacent solar farm and the glider crashed into the panels. He had misjudged his altitude — no altimeter check, and a plateau-edge illusion — and was unfamiliar with the alternative fields after a recent move with no site briefing.

1. Aerotow initial climb: The glider began aerotow from RWY 18 at Aspres-sur-Buëch, a plateau airfield with the runway descending toward a valley. At about 100 ft it neared the runway end at the plateau edge.
2. Towplane engine irregularities: The towplane pilot detected engine irregularities at about 100 ft, pitched down to preserve airspeed and switched fuel tanks; nominal power was restored within a few seconds.
3. Pilot's 3.5-year flying gap: The glider pilot had not flown for nearly four years, then completed refresher and check flights before flying solo three times in the weeks before the accident.
4. No briefing on new airfield: When the pilot relocated to Aspres-sur-Buëch, he received no safety briefing and had not scouted the area for outlanding fields, leaving him without that knowledge in the emergency.
5. Cable release + immediate turnback: Seeing the cable slacken and the towplane descend, the pilot released and turned right without checking altimeter or airspeed; the plateau-edge view likely distorted his altitude estimate.
6. Right wing strikes perimeter fence: During the low right turn, the glider's right wingtip struck the perimeter fence of an adjacent photovoltaic field west of the runway, destabilising the glider.
7. Collision with solar panels: The glider hit the ground, slid, and embedded itself in the first row of solar panels. Glider destroyed; pilot and passenger injured.