I'm a member of GHSA and it's clear we need more investigative information than speculation.

Certain comments from witnesses at the field (and I WAS NOT one of them) indicate there were controllability issues seconds after rotating. The towpilot is said to have been feeling the excessive pulls on the rope increase, and was seeing the glider pitching around (in the mirror) far more than usual. One witness said he was about to release the rope at his end when it broke. Either way the glider was free of the rope at 75-100 feet AGL according to the preliminary statements of the NTSB official at the crash site.

Our Twin Lark had taken off once long ago with the tail dolly attached, and landed without incident (it's a light dolly). My "opinion" is the dolly likely didn't contribute to the instability issue, but it tells another story: the PIC didn't thoroughly preflight the glider. It will require the official investigation by NTSB to determine if anything else was not addressed prior to takeoff.

Obviously a key attention point is the child. I've heard the media comments (local TV) that the child WAS strapped in using the same belts/harness as his mother… AND he was not. Again--we have to wait for the official finding. Also not officially determined: the sitting positions of the pilot and the mother/child (who was in the front and who was in the back?). I'm in agreement with the comments that there is no way you go flying with an unrestrained passenger on board. I'm also of the opinion that it's not prudent to take someone that young up simply because the cockpits are very confining, controls are in easy reach, and children that young can be prone to instant panic and physical anguish. That, in of itself, would be a severe distraction to the PIC.

There are a number of points NTSB will have to examine:

(1) weight and balance loading
(2) aircraft condition
(3) towpilot comments
(4) ground witnesses
(5) radio calls
(6) physical condition of the pilot.

Again--the tail dolly points to inattention on the part of the PIC, but nothing more until the NTSB reports on the preceding. I know for a fact that when I was out there Saturday, there were no squawks reported on the Twin Lark, which had been flying that day.

I've known the pilot since jointing the club in 1997. He's been a senior instructor since that time and he signed me off for my transition pilot practical. I considered him an attentive and conservative pilot. I've personally never known him to have any medical conditions; he seemed in good shape when I talked to him Saturday. You have to remember: This was his daughter-in-law and grandson that he took flying, so his typical preflight routine MAY--REPEAT--MAY have been distracted by the family aspect of the moment. It's likely another club member was ground crewing and standing near the glider as they were loading, so we'll need to wait for those eyewitness comments.

For now that's all we know and we must keep the speculation down and await the NTSB's report. Fred will be greatly missed. It's tough all around since GHSA has had a pretty good safety record. We haven't had a major accident since 1999 and in that one the pilot walked away from his low-time, lack-of-judgement landing approach decisions that caused him to go off the end of the runway and total the glider.