LAK-19 drops its left wing and spins in ridge turbulence

On a ridge-soaring flight in turbulence that another pilot said had to be flown with extra speed, a LAK-19 dropped its left wing 50 to 100 m above the ground and spun into steep forest; the pilot was killed and the glider destroyed. The day was a south-Föhn situation with a strong westerly along the crest. Almost two hours after release, the same pilot saw the glider sink sharply at 1,700 to 1,800 m MSL before the wing dropped. The flight manual on board was out of date: it gave the stall speed as 75 km/h, the current revision 82 km/h.

1. Aerotow along the Hochanger ridge: The glider was towed north along the ridge.
2. Release 1000 m above the airfield: The tow ended about 1000 m above airfield level, west of the ridge and roughly midway between the later accident site and the northern end.
3. Slope soaring in a Föhn westerly: Thermals were absent or broken, but the west faces looked soarable. A pilot who launched later found turbulence that needed extra speed.
4. Glider sinks sharply: Almost two hours after release, at 1,700 to 1,800 m MSL, another pilot 300 to 400 m behind saw the glider sink strongly.
5. Left wing drops into a spin: At 50 to 100 m above the ground the glider rolled over the left wing and began to spin.
6. Pilot killed on a 40-degree slope: The glider struck trackless forest on a 40-degree slope; the pilot was killed and the glider destroyed. The cockpit damage and destroyed right wing indicate a steep impact with right bank.