Accident summary

On May 9, afternoon, pilot launched from Marshall and the glider immediately tip stalled and the right wing contacted the ground.

Conditions

The winds at Marshall at the time of the accident were variable from the south 0-10 mph.

Emergency response 

None needed

Injuries

None

Damage

Damage including broken keel, broken battens, small rip in the sail.  Glider will need sail off inspection and repair.

Pilot involved

The pilot is a current member of both USHPA and CSS with the appropriate rating for flying at Marshall.

Root cause

The right wing stalled and the glider impacted the ground before safe flying speed was reached.

Proximate cause

Pilot’s launch was weak for the light conditions and the glider did not reach flying speed

Corrective action

The pilot holds an advanced rating and has many years experience.  He acknowledged that his decision making before launch was poor.  He attempted to launch from the upper, flatter section of Marshall, rather than walking down to normal HG launch.  His reasoning to himself at the time was the conditions were good enough for launching from the upper area.  He admitted that his years of experience made him complacent and he did not adequately assess the current conditions.