L-13 Blanik strikes a wingtip turning back after the tug's fuel runs out

A pilot was killed and an instructor seriously injured near Kapfenberg when the Blanik hit the ground turning back after a low release, caused by the tow plane running out of usable fuel; glider destroyed. The tug, a motorglider on its fourteenth tow of the day, had its engine falter at 20 to 30 m, short of the airfield boundary, and its pilot called for an immediate release. The Blanik pilot released at once, flew straight past the runway end, then began a steep right turn. Well before completing it the right wingtip touched the ground; the wing broke and swung the glider into a heavy nose-first impact. The tug landed safely.

1. Season's first check flight: The club required every member to fly an annual check with an instructor at the start of the season. The Blanik was launched two-up by the club's motorglider tug from RWY 07.
2. Tug on its fourteenth tow: The tug pilot had flown 13 tows that morning and wanted to refuel and hand over, but took this launch because the Blanik was already waiting.
3. Engine trouble at 20 to 30 m: The tug pilot radioed for an immediate release with engine trouble. The combination was about 150 m short of the airfield boundary.
4. Turnback from a low release: The pilot released at once and flew straight on past the runway end, then began a steep right turn back towards the airfield. Landing ahead would have left about 170 m before houses.
5. Wingtip digs in, nose-first impact: About 100 degrees into the 180 the right wingtip touched the ground. The wing broke, caught again and swung the glider right into a heavy nose-first impact; it stopped a metre further on.
6. Tug lands with the tank empty: The tug landed safely. Only about 0.75 l of fuel could be drained from it afterwards, a little below the 1 l the manual counts as unusable.