On Jul 22, 3:49*pm, "
wrote:
Isn't everyone missing the cause of this accident and ones like it?

Written, Pre-take-off checklist is all that is needed to prevent this
accident from ever happening. *It is the most basic of pilot
duties........

The pilot made at least 5 obvious (easily preventable) errors leading
up to the accident.

1. preflight inspection (usually states spoilers/flaps to take off
position)
2. pre take off check list..."spoilers closed and locked"
3. During tow, Left hand should be on, near, behind, spoiler handle to
sense unwanted spoiler opening
4. Situational awareness of poor climb should result in immediate
spoiler check
5. Pilot should be familiar with signals

Pilot should also include "enmergency plan" in take off check
list ....planning for emergencies such as rope break, tow plane wave
off signal, canopy opening, tow plane loss of power, and spoilers
opening (and signal form tow plane)....none of these should cause any
major concern if they happen...If the pilot is properly prepared..

Cookie

I appreciate the comment, but broadening the discussion is more a
distraction to this than a help. One way of making sure something
really broken is not fixed is to keep making the problem bigger. Bad
things happen and when they do there needs to be a mechanism,
hopefully a practiced plan of action, to handle them. The causes of
these fatalities is really releasing low/in an a bad position. Fix
that problem and people won't get killed. In may cases (with powerful
enough tow planes) they might just be embarrassed and the glider pilot
ends up having to buy the tow pilot a beer that night because the tow
plane had to struggle to tow them for a while.

We all need the radio and signal procedure chain to work as
effectively as it can possibly do. That includes getting radios
properly installed in gliders and tow planes and properly using them,
tow pilots being trained to think when to most safely to use a radio
and signal followup if needed, and us community of glider pilots to
get our heads out of our collective asses on the broad lack of
proficiency with in-flight signals.

Darryl