2020 Accidents & Insurance, usa

On Friday, May 22, 2020 at 6:02:38 PM UTC-4, Dave Nadler wrote:
.... I do practice grabbing it
to make sure I can do it quickly...

Part of my prelaunch routine is to grab the release three times. One day the towplane's right gear collapsed. I was already flying in ground effect, but I managed to release, yaw and avoid collision.

I have to stretch a little to reach the release handle, so prior to 'practicing the grab' I held a 12" lanyard tied to the handle. One day I hit rough air towards the end of the runway (~30 AGL) and accidentally pulled the release handle ~1/4". If it had released, I would have landed in the trees. I favor finger tips on top of the release handle if possible.

I'm hoping my 'grab rehearsal' will speed up release. When the towplane gear collapsed on me, I only thought to 'pull release' after I saw the prop throwing up dirt, and after I thought it, there was a moment of delay.