According to UK MAIB, during a training passage on the south coast of England a commercially operated sailing yacht experienced a catastrophic rigging failure that led to it being dismasted. There were no injuries and the mast was cut free and released overboard.
The incident
The yacht was on passage with a skipper/ instructor and six students on board conducting RYA competent crew training. The vessel was sailing on a port tack with the main and headsail up, when a loud bang was heard, and the...
https://safety4sea.com/sailing-yacht-experiences-catastrophic-rigging-failure/