Hey David:
Yes, sometimes things just happen. But there's some things that I routinely do that you could have done to reduce the chance of that particular crash.
I
have crashed recently -- a few times several years ago trying to learn to stunt left-handed, and then recently while test-flying a much-repaired trainer. But I haven't crashed one of my "real" competition ships for about five years of active flying.
At the shop, I make sure that the plane is straight, balanced, and that the engine is set up to run reliably (or motor, if you swing that way). I make sure that the controls move freely, without any sticking (I accept some sticking when the leadouts don't have tension on them, which seems to happen more often -- it hasn't bitten me yet). I build my lines per the AMA rule book, with the exception of how I swage the line ends if I'm using ferrules.
At the field, I preflight before I get to the circle:
- I make sure the controls move freely
- I make sure my lines are untangled and free of serious kinks (and note mild ones, and build new lines back at the shop if they're developing)
- When I put on the handle, I make sure the controls move the correct way, and freely
- I make sure that line connectors won't bind one another. I'm not as good at this as some other folks in the area -- some people slip fuel tubing over their line connectors, so they cannot get tangled. I have crashed a plane from tangled line connectors, so I should be better about this -- but I haven't done it for years, so...
Once the engine is started, I preflight again:
- Always always always, before I launch I wiggle the handle to verify that the controls move the right way. If you can't see the controls from the pilot's position, you can usually see the way the plane "wants" to move with the prop blast, or you can arrange with your pit man to indicate which way the elevator is moving (it's best to prearrange something that cannot be mistaken.)
- In grass, I try to get a feel for the presence of pretty little flowers or seed heads that snag lines. If I have any suspicion that they're there, I'll hold my hand up when launching to keep the lines out of the grass, even if it means an ugly takeoff
I dunno if this helps. Keep up the good work none the less.