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Old July 2nd 18, 06:28 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Jonathan St. Cloud
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Default Accelerated spin in unexpected direction at low altitude

On Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 8:03:16 PM UTC-7, wrote:
There are three messages here
Your glider may not always enter spin in the same direction you turn or circle. At high bank 50-60 degree in tight turn with high G load your upper wing may stall first. In a split second you can get in accelerated spin in unexpected direction. Scenario could be a new quick decision at altitude below 200 feet during land-out.
I witnessed Jantar Std3 doing 180 from downwind to short final in 60 degree of bank at an altitude about 150 feet. In the middle of RIGHT 180 turn the glider flipped LEFT and made ONE full turn of accelerated spin in about 2-3 seconds before hitting ground. UPPER (left) wing stalled first. It was so fast that there was no chance for pilot to react. The 21 years old pilot survived with broken legs. His life was saved because left wing hit the ground and broke partially mid section taking some energy off of the nose of the cockpit.
The next day I took Jantar Std3 to try to duplicate case of glider spin in opposite direction to the turn (at altitude 3000-4000 feet). I was determined to find out what happened, I tried 60-degree bank with high G and different aileron positions. Finally it happened on the 16th try.
There is another important message here with a twist. Above accident would not happen at all if the pilot would stick to his original plan after he completed his speed triangle. His plan was to make only one 90 degree Left turn at an altitude 400 feet over flightline and land toward hangars. When he initiated that Left 90-degree turn, the flight instructor noticed that and sent him on close downwind pattern to land on flightline from that low altitude, he said on the radio "right love! right!". I will never forget that radio call. The 21 years old pilot should have followed his original plan.. So now from that low altitude of 400 feet he had to do Right turn 90 degree, go downwind 200 yards then tight Right 180 to short final for landing. And this was the instructor who thought the pilot from scratch when he was 17. Sometime the same instructor who teaches you can kill you. The young pilot was worried that he could be grounded for not following landing instructions. Stick to your original plan, you are the final authority when you fly. You are not radio-controlled model. You can argue later. If you spin below 150 feet you have better chance of survival if you keep spinning versus stopping rotation, but take your feet off the pedals and bend your knees. And please teach full spin and recovery in US, please. Fly lower on tow, always keep more speed, you will live longer. Be safe. Andre


Thank you for this. The only time I have been in an over the top spin was in one particular 2-32 only from a slip to the left. Allow this particular 2-32 to get slow in a left slip and over the top you went. Would not do it from a slip to the right and I had always been thought that an aircraft will not stall from a slip. Unfortunately this glider is not with use any more and I have not been able to get any other 2-32 to do an over the top spin entry from a slip.