Prior to flying the club's single seat glider, the visiting pilot was required to undergo a dual check. His first check flight was conducted in VH-IKB by the club's Chief Flying Instructor who was not satisfied and required another flight. The second take-off appeared to be normal but after lift off the glider entered an uncontrolled climb. The pilot operated the cable release and handed over control to the instructor There was no elevator control available and the glider climbed to about 200 feet above ground level where it stalled and turned left through about 90 degrees. The glider descended steeply and impacted the ground on the left wingtip followed by the nose and right wingtip. It came to rest after sliding about 20 metres. After the accident it was found that the cast-alloy elevator horn had failed as the result of a single overload. Examination of the casting revealed widespread and excessive porosity resulting in a degradation of the material static strength including its resistance to impulsively applied loads. The investigation established that, during the previous landing, the glider had touched down heavily and there was a "sharp" impact in the tail area. Prior to the accident flight, the tail of the glider was visually inspected but no evidence was found of any damage. It was not possible to determine positively if the casting failed during the accident or on the previous landing.
