PG Injury Accident Monroe (9000 ft.)

Pilot launched into bad conditions, a series of four different deflations ended with a bad landing and patella injury on one  knee and broken ankle/torn ligaments on the other. Pilot commented that the wind was too cross and he would like to see out training in dealing with and preventing deflation. Multiple deflations would generally indicate that the pilot was in rotor.

HG Student Ankle Injury, July 9 South Side

A hang gliding student suffered an injured ankle while taking a flight at the bottom of the South Side. He spent the bulk of the flight with the control bar extended and couldn't manage good directional control or a good flare at the end of the flight. There was also some damage to the hang glider. The pilot made his way to get medical attention without the use of an ambulance.

Backwards Hook In - Non Injury

As happens a few times a year,  a pilot hooked in completely backwards and launched off a local mountain. A "common sense" approach to hooking in, in which the pilot practices the turn direction for the reverse inflation will usually prevent this. In this case, the pilot flew well while hooked in backwards and landed somewhere other than the designated LZ. If this ever happens to you, please consider just flying away from the hill and executing the flight to the LZ as normal, complete with nicely executed flare. While the task seems daunting, it can be done well, even on your first time.

PG Top Landing North Side Injury, July 29

A visiting P2 pilot attempted to top land the top of the North Side at 7:45 pm. At approx. 25 feet, the pilot stalled the glider resulting in an ankle and a back injury. Assistance was rendered by a local instructor and a registered nurse who happened to be flying tandem nearby. A helicopter evacuation was executed. 

Non Injury HG Tandem Launch Abort June, 29 North Side

A tandem HG pilot caught a wing tip in the bushes and aborted a launch resulting in some damage to the glider but zero injuries.

Accidental Deployment PG Tandem June, 21 ( non injury )

A tandem pilot had an accidental deployment on the North Side. There were no injuries. The reserve was difficult to disable. The pilot speculates that a reserve that had a small pack volume combined with a normal size under the seat reserve container combined with some mild acrobatic maneuvering led to the inadvertent deployment.

Kiting Accident S. Side

A visiting P2 pilot inflated on top of the South Side in 20 mph wind. He was pulled three or four feet in the air and when he landed he broke his leg. He was using a smaller than normal paraglider which may have made him think that the 20 mph winds would be less of an issue. We are all encouraged to avoid be smart about flying  in strong conditions even when we are using smaller canopies.