Accident summary

On February 7, afternoon, pilot attempted to launch on a Sport 3 135 at Crestline.  Witness states that the launch run was weak and the nose popped up on about the second step.  The wing and pilot did become airborne momentarily but the the glider slid right and struck the ground almost immediately.

Conditions

The recorded winds at Crestline were 0-5 mph south, the witness reported winds at time of launch of 2-4 south.

Emergency response 

None

Injuries

None

Damage

Bent downtube

Pilot involved

The pilot had experience and ratings appropriate to launching a Sport 3 at Crestline.

Root cause

The wing did not achieve full flying speed and mushed into the ground

Proximate cause

The pilot did not run aggressively enough for the conditions, which the nose going high mid run exacerbated

Corrective action

The pilot debriefed with fellow pilots immediately after the accident and acknowledged the run was not aggressive enough for the light conditions.  This flight is good example of the benefit of taking note of the conditions and giving oneself a briefing of what is necessary for a safe launch