Centrair lands hard after a low winch-launch interruption

The rear-seat instructor was seriously injured and the glider substantially damaged in a hard landing during a winch-launch training exercise. A pilot converting to winch launches flew the front seat, the instructor behind. For a practice launch interruption at low height, the instructor released the cable below 30 m; the pilot lowered the nose as briefed, but the descent steepened and speed did not build. Unable to flare in time, he let the glider strike the runway nose-down near mid-field. Investigators tied the steep sink to a probable tailwind gust at release, the very low release height leaving little time to react.

1. Winch-launch training exercise: On a dual instructional flight, a pilot converting to winch launches flew from the front seat with an instructor behind, for a low-height launch-interruption exercise.
2. Cable released below 30 m: During the winch launch the instructor released the cable at an estimated height below 30 m, at about 100 to 110 km/h.
3. Steep sink after release: The descent path steepened sharply and the speed did not build, probably because of a tailwind gust at release.
4. Could not flare in time: The pilot lowered the nose as briefed but could not round out before reaching the runway.
5. Hard nose-down landing: The glider struck the runway nose-down near mid-field and rolled about 30 m to a stop.
6. Instructor seriously injured: The rear-seat instructor was seriously injured in the back but got out unaided; the glider was substantially damaged.