The President has requested that a summary of accidents and incidents involving Club aircraft and pilots be provided so that members are informed on the status of Club aircraft, and so that members might learn from problems encountered by others. This is the next in the regular series of those articles.

We report on one recent event below. Other reports will be provided from time to time to keep you informed of all accidents and incidents at GCV. The format mirrors that adopted by the ATSB for anonymous reporting - pilots are not identified. The "Analysis" section outlines deliberation by the Instructors Panel, and any subsequent action.

Summary	Failure to release tow rope.
Date	23/09/2007
Time	1420 hours
Location	YBLA RWY 08L
Wind	Not reported
Aircraft	Junior - XOB
Activity	Solo soaring flight
Pilot Experience	Not reported
Injuries	None
Damage	None
Witnesses	Tug Pilot
Description	Aerotow of the Junior proceeded normally until time to release. In attempt to provide a positive indication of release to the Tug Pilot by releasing with tension on the rope, the glider pilot initiated a sharp climbing turn to the right whilst pulling the release handle. In fact, the rope did not release, causing the Tug Pilot to loose directional control and causing the tug to begin diving. The Tug Pilot called for a release over the radio. Both pilots then released the rope (and it was lost). Both glider and tug completed their flights without further incident.
Analysis	We were fortunate on this occasion - a tug upset was rapidly developing, and only fast pilot reactions prevented the situation becoming very serious. Glider pilots should always release the aerotow rope from their normal tow position; that is, release from the low-tow position when towed in that position, and not whilst making a climbing turn. Secondly, and most importantly, glider pilots should observe positive separation of aerotow ropes before commencing their turn away from a tug; this is a fundamental premise of flying - confirm that control inputs have had the desired effect before doing anything else. On this occasion, the glider pilot had analysed the incident and recognised his error; no further action was taken by the Instructors Panel.

Trainee glider pilots are often asked to confirm the separation of tow ropes by their Instructors. This is good practice for all pilots, and can avoid situations such as that described above; I recommend it to all glider pilots - both trainee and solo.

If you have any questions on this article or the events it describes, please contact me by telephone on 0429 147 462.

John Millott - Chairman, GCV Instructors Panel