Janus C high-energy overrun — airbrakes retracted unnoticed; deliberate ground loop

A Schempp-Hirth Janus C overran the runway at Bagnères-de-Luchon (Haute-Garonne); the glider was destroyed and the occupants uninjured. The instructor aborted training shortly after winch launch in unsuitable conditions. On final the instructor's hand stayed on the flap lever rather than on the airbrake lever; an unheld Janus C airbrake handle can slowly retract. The half-deployed airbrakes retracted unnoticed; the glider floated and bounced down the 750 m runway. At the boundary fence the instructor pulled up, then banked right to ground-loop beyond. BEA cited the unnoticed airbrake retraction with the approach speed high for wind.

1. Aborted instructional winch flight: The instructor took off by winch from the Bagnères-de-Luchon vélisurface for an instructional flight with a student. A few minutes after launch the instructor judged the aerological conditions unsuitable and decided to interrupt the flight, returning to end of downwind for runway 01 (unpaved, 750 m × 50 m).
2. Airbrake handle needs constant hold: The Janus C airbrake lever has no detent. When pulled out, the airbrakes deploy proportional to lever position; per FFVP guidance shared in the investigation, if the handle is not held in position, the airbrakes can slowly drift back toward retracted.
3. Approach speed high for wind: Wind 360° at 9 kt with gusts to 20 kt. The instructor selected an approach speed of ~115 km/h, aiming for the runway threshold. On base he deployed airbrakes to half-effectiveness and visually verified extension before the last turn.
4. Hand on flap, off airbrake lever: On final, after setting the flaps to landing configuration, the instructor likely kept his hand on the flap lever and did not return it to the airbrake lever. Approach felt stabilised on path and speed; nothing alerted him to the airbrake retraction.
5. Airbrakes retracted unnoticed: The half-deployed airbrakes retracted unnoticed, either progressively or at flare. Recorded ground speed reached ~130 km/h at flare, equating to ~145 km/h IAS (vs intended ~115 km/h). The glider floated ~1 m above the runway, bounced mid-runway, and ran to the runway end without settling.
6. Pull-up over fence, ground-loop: Recognising he could not stop short of the boundary fence, the instructor kept the glider airborne over it, then banked the right wing into the ground to induce a controlled ground loop (cheval de bois) in the 60 m field beyond — choosing this rather than running into the buildings at the field's far end.
7. Fuselage broken, uninjured: The glider touched down ~130 m beyond the runway end and 40 m right of the runway axis, ground-looped, and came to rest perpendicular to the runway with the fuselage broken. Glider destroyed; instructor and student uninjured. Post-accident: airbrakes found retracted and unlocked; flaps in landing position. FFVP 2015 reference: 'La confusion des commandes, comment s'en protéger' (control-confusion advisory).