Powys glider crash: Air accident report fails to establish cause

An investigation into a glider crash which injured a student pilot and his 71-year-old instructor has failed to establish why it happened.

It happened as the glider was taking off at Talgarth, Powys, last August .

Just after it became airborne the tow rope to the aerotow plane detached, and the instructor took over control and landed in a nearby field.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch found the rope release mechanism had been modified but it was not the cause.

Both pilots sustained serious injuries but have since recovered.

The AAIB report said: "It is possible that the pilot or student inadvertently moved the tow release. The evidence available was not sufficient to determine conclusively why the tow rope disconnected from the glider.

"An inadvertent input on the release knob or an unidentified mechanical failure of the tow release system could not be ruled out.

"Whatever the cause of the release, given the low level at which the glider disconnected from the aerotow, the pilot had to identify the safest landing site almost immediately."