Towing Fatality in Nepal.

[nevillestyke]

Sad hanglider aerotow accident in which an ultralight tug Russian pilot was killed. The tug passenger (!) was badly injured.

https://cloud.mail.ru/public/DrBy/PHDhnGydF

My Republica - Seti flashflood alert pilot dies in Ultralight crash (http://www.myrepublica.com/news/9714)

Condolences to all involved.

[India Four Two]

The article quotes the cause as a rope break, but to me it looks more like an upset (where the towed hang glider gets too high and pulls the tail of the tug up).

The pilot pulls back with both hands on the stick (1:30) shortly before the pitch down and then he pulls the release handle (1:33).

When I'm towing, my hand is on the release during the take-off roll and for the first few hundred feet, so I can react immediately. An upset can happen very quickly.

In a Scout, I let the throttle-friction take care of the throttle position, so that I can hold the release. In our 182, the release is a pull-handle, just above the throttle, so I keep my fingers on the release handle and my thumb on the end of the throttle.

In our club, the only time that two people are in a tow-plane is during check-outs.

[22/04]

Agree with everything India 42 has said. The stick appears to be fairly well aft with increasing back pressure throughout. Not sure whether the engine faltering has anything to with it or does this aircraft require constant pressure on the throttle?-and why the pilot let's go of the stick as he releases the rope.

Does this aircraft have a trimmer/ is it capable of being trimmed for the tow? It is also in important to be trimmed correctly so that any need for backpressure is noted immediately. Looks like he has back pressure from early on.

As a tug pilot the whole thing looks like something I have no desire to try.

[LOMCEVAK]

Firstly, let me say that I am not a tug pilot and so would not attempt to hazard a guess as to why this happened. However, from the video it appears that the aircraft has an increasing nose up pitch attitude as the pilot applies full back stick and then the aircraft rolls left, possibly due to a stall leading to a wing drop? It is interesting that the pilot closes the throttle as the aircraft reaches the maximum nose up pitch attitude then moves it fully forward again. Very sad.

[Vilters]

Too little info about what is happening behind the tug plane.
Seems like an early lift - off, low on speed, and he never levels off to build speed before starting the climb.

The actual accident is a stall, left wing drop, impact.

After an early lift-off, always level off to build best climb speed and only then start the climb out.

For some reason : The pilot is always pulling on the stick and never levels off to build-up to climb speed.

But? We don't know what was happening behind, so ??

[Cows getting bigger]

Check the thrust line vs. the chord line. Like a number of microlights, an increase in power causes a pitch forward moment.

[clivewatson]

Almost certainly as a result of what the video doesn't show....the glider being towed climbing, and pulling up on the tow plane's tail.

Similar to the tragedy that killed Stan Easton 40 odd years ago while he was tugging.