Schleicher ASW-19B accident near Jacksonville, Florida, April 16, 2022

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

Shortly after the tow airplane and the glider became airborne, the pilot of the glider released from the tow plane about 200 ft above ground level, then entered a left turn back toward the runway, during which the glider impacted terrain. Witnesses to the accident described the glider’s takeoff as “abnormal” and “erratic” and reported that the glider climbed above the tow plane twice before the glider pilot released from tow. Postaccident examination of the glider revealed that the elevator control was not connected as required by preflight assembly procedures, which would have resulted in the pilot’s inability to control the glider’s pitch attitude. According to the tow pilot, the glider pilot had assembled the glider by himself (as he had done many times before) on the morning of the accident. It is likely that, had the pilot completed a positive control check after assembly, he would have identified the disconnected elevator control. Toxicology testing identified two sedating drugs, cetirizine (Zyrtec) and trazodone (an antidepressant), in the pilot’s cavity blood and urine; however, the pilot’s use of these medications most likely did not contribute to the accident.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.