Towplane crash at C83

[Silvaire]

Yesterday around 1:30. I did not see it but heard what sounded like complete engine failure at what was probably the most inopportune point - about 2/3 down the runway and 150 ft. Glider got down okay. The plane was a Bellanca Scout. RIP pilot.

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EDIT: see post #6 - this was not an engine failure

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Update: it wasn't engine failure glider canopy opened and for some reason the glider zoomed up and nosed the Scout right into the ground. The pop I heard was the explosion when it hit. He never had time to even pull the throttle back.

Very sad. This is that situation where the glider pilot can kill the pilot. “Kiting”. Canopy coming off is not an emergency of course. Awful and I bet that is how the glider pilot feels.

Just possibly of interest for the power pilots here who have not flown aerotow. The wings of the glider are huge. When they are pulling up it is no contest between the glider wings and the elevator authority of the towplane.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

So how do you know for sure it wasn’t the aerodynamics of the open canopy that caused it to climb?

Hard to imagine that with the size of the gliders wings and elevator relative to canopy size. The standard advice for this circumstance is ignore the problem, release when a normal landing is easy, and then land.

I knew a CFI who put a Grob down off field because of canopy opening which was discussed as being an error.