On Jun 22, 7:43*am, "vaughn"
wrote:
"John Smith" wrote in message

. ..

Where does this downwind landing taboo originate?

What downwind landing taboo? *Here in the US, the 180 degree "rope break"
downwind landing is part of the standard pre-solo curriculum.

Vaughn

Since many critical facts are still unknown, it's impossible to
comment on this particular crash except to offer our deepest sympathy
and condolences to all concerned - especially the pilot. One can only
imagine the burden he carries.

But, speaking generally about winch launch failures, if you are high
enough that landing straight ahead is impossible, then you will have
plenty of altitude for a closely linked pair of 180 turns which will
end with the gilder lined up with the runway for an into-the-wind
landing. The last 180 to final approach should never be below 200
feet AGL which is comparable to the 200' 180 turn to a downwind
landing taught aero tow students.

Even on short runways, the straight ahead option and the circle to
land option overlap by several hundred feet, depending on things like
spoiler effectiveness and wind speed, making the decision not
particularly critical. Nonetheless, a pilot is encouraged to estimate
a "critical altitude" above which a straight ahead landing would be
problematical before beginning the launch. This mental preparation
makes it easier to decide which way to go.

What IS critical is getting the nose down without the slightest delay.
Push the nose as far below the horizon as it was above it at the point
of failure then WAIT until you see a safe airspeed with an increasing
trend before deciding on which option to execute. The top priority is
always the same - FLY THE GLIDER!

If the decision is circle to land, just as with the aero tow 180 turn
at 200', the glider must be flown with precise airspeed and
coordination control. The intent is NOT to stop at the launch point -
just to make a safe landing anywhere on the airfield.

Managing a winch launch failure is neither difficult nor unsafe but it
does require some training and forethought. Launch failures have
been managed safely many millions of times just using basic glider
instrumentation. However, I think significantly fewer accidents would
have happened if angle of attack indicators were universally installed.