Kestrel lands hard after the winch cable drogue opens at 10 m
The pilot was seriously injured and the Kestrel substantially damaged in a hard landing after the winch launch ended at 10 to 15 m. It was his fourth launch of the day; the first three had been uneventful, and he had checked the weak link, set the flaps for the winch and confirmed the airbrakes locked. As he raised the nose for the climb the cable tension slackened without the cable breaking, and the drogue at the glider end inflated. He released twice and pushed forward, but found the controls soft. He pushed until the nose was nearly vertical and flared just before touchdown. The glider landed on its main wheel and slid about 20 m.
- Fourth winch launch of the day: The pilot lined up for his fourth winch launch of the day on runway 36. The three before it had run without incident.
- Pre-launch checks done: He checked the weak link, set the flaps to the winch position, ran the pre-launch checks including the airbrake lock, and watched the cable go into the centre-of-gravity hook.
- Tension slackens at 10 to 15 m: In the transition to the climb the pull fell away without the cable breaking, and the drogue at the glider end of the cable inflated.
- Release and push forward: The pilot pulled the release twice and pushed the stick forward. The launch leader called for the winch to stop and for the glider to push forward.
- Soft controls near the top: The controls felt soft and the glider gave no sign of dropping a wing. He pushed until the nose pointed almost straight down.
- Hard touchdown on the main wheel: He flared just before the ground. The glider landed centrally on the main wheel, both wings touched together and it slid some 20 m. The pilot was seriously injured but got out unaided.