Ground loop during winch launch, Schempp-Hirth Ventus 2cxT, D-KLXH, Twente Airport
The pilot of the Ventus 2cxT was preparing the glider, with partially filled water tanks in the wings, for a cross-country flight. Prior to the flight, the pilot asked a club member to keep hold of a wing tip during the winch launch. Then he briefed the club member on the necessity to maintain the glider in a horizontal position for some time, so that the water could be distributed over the wings and the glider would remain in balance. However, at the moment of the launch, another person took over the role of wing walker. The pilot had not briefed this person. After the wing walker had connected the winch cable, he raised the wings to a horizontal position. After the pilot indicated that he was ready for launch, the wing walker raised his hand, the signal that the cable could be tightened. He then lowered his arm, at which point the glider was winched away.
Soon after the wing walker had let go of the wing tip, the tip of the left wing tilted downwards and hit the ground. Steering corrections by the pilot in an attempt to once again raise the wing tip proved fruitless. At the moment that the pilot decided to abort the take-off, and released the cable, the glider rotated 90 degrees to the left, and continued sliding in the launch direction. The glider came to a rolling standstill, travelling backwards. The pilot was unharmed. The glider suffered severe damage to the fuselage, among others.
This accident is described further in the Quarterly Aviation Report over the 3rd quarter of 2020.
