Or hacked off the control column…

Heartening to know someone is still caring for these old gliders!
I was involved in an unusual incident with the Highland Gliding Club at Milltown airfield, Moray, around 1970/1971, when I was roughly 14 or 15.
Surface winds were too strong to fly this particular day, so our T-21 was parked with the low wing pointed into the wind direction. I’d taken the opportunity to have a nap in the cockpit, and was startled awake by some instructors and pilots shouting “Push the nose down!” at me. Turned out the glider was rolling backward, with it’s nose in the air, with me fast asleep inside!
I remember pushing the stick forward, and hitting the ground with quite a thud…

Yes, I remember that too. An unconventional first solo.

My first solo was in the T21, 1973. Before going solo my first experience of soaring was in the T21 open cockpit, sharing a thermal with a Ka 7 nearby.

I doubt if rotor off the trees was one the primary causes of this accident !
I have refrained from comment so far but only because from the video clip -(1) I cannot see if the runway(s) were obstructed.
I also cannot see if he had (2) a flying control or (3) airbrake control problem.
If none of those 3 problems existed then one might conclude that pulling off tow at low level would leave very few options,there was a fairly strong wind blowing so an immediate 360 degree turn to land into wind might be favourite.
The pilot flew downwind with airbrakes open (attemped downwind landing ?or attempted return to threshold?).
He had insufficient height for the final 180 deg turn to land (and the airbrakes were still open !)
Not really conjecture – it is all on the video …but a/c accidents are sometimes a combination of circumstances which is why I started my post with 3 possible mitigating scenarios.

rgds baz

I agree with your comments about a combination of factors. I still suspect rotor and an over-ruddered flat turn due to an aborted downwind landing attempt led to him spinning in.

I’ve also experienced rotor from trees in a glider. After a lowish and well banked final turn, the glider was very reluctant to come out of the turn and only a bootful of opposite rudder brought it level again. Luck was with me that day however, and the only outcome was some well chosen words of advice from the CFI. I could just as easily have spun in too.

I thought we were all in agreement about waiting for the AAIB to publish their findings, it would appear I’m mistaken.

I’m afraid you are mistaken. Only two posters suggested waiting for the AAIB report. I agree with Ozplane in this particular instance. Discussing it isn’t predjudicing the investigation, nor is it speaking ill of the dead.

As Ozplane said, it would be interesting to see the met for the day. The treetops appear to be swaying in the take off video. The Pawnee smoke is drifting crosswind towards the crowd. Perhaps there was some curlover from the trees?

Kinda lazy myself…

Harley Sportster by the way.

No apology required, I like a good argument – just ask Grey Area:diablo:

I’m not having a laugh when professionaly qualified staff require to be managed so much more in 2009 than they did 15 years ago. In 2005, there was 1 manager per 24 professionaly qualified staff. In 2009, there was 1 manager per 16 professionaly qualified staff.

In 1995, there were 507358 professionaly qualified staff and 20842 managers, a ratio of 24.3 to 1

In 2009, there were 725,579 professionaly qualified staff and 44641 managers, a ratio of 16.3 to 1

That’s my rationale. Or perhaps its an error in my interpretation of the data? Data again from The NHS Information Service.

Pedant – I’m never sure which syllable is accented.