North Side Top Landing Deflation - Crash PG Non Injury

from the pilot:

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"Conditions were a little punchy. Plenty of lift in tight places. Decided to come back in and let my buddy know that I thought he might want to wait out the sporty conditions.

Made my approach from the west end. Descended under big ears to about 100 feet. Ears reinflated fine and I leaned right to begin final to the west edge of the park when the glider very suddenly experienced a significant asymmetrical deflation. Flip, pitch, spin, aerial bugaloo, reinflated low and I hit the dirt with an indirect lateral impact. Probably looked a lot more dramatic than it really was.

No injuries.

No loss of consciousness.

No damage to glider. Helmet a little scratched. Harness, socks, shoes, shorts, face, hair and mouth full of Utah dirt.

Summary:
I suspect that I was beginning my turn to final on the up-wind side of a nasty thermal blowing across the bench, causing the deflation. Too low to throw, too quick for any meaningful reaction. Lucky to walk away."
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Notes:

Without getting excessively deep in the brakes, we should all "feel the brake" actively when top landing the north side in strong conditions. Deflations are 1:1000 back there but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't totally be on the defense against them. To be clear: pulling brake prevents deflations - in case you didn't get the memo. Some areas are better than others for avoiding deflations back there. Too far behind the outhouse is bad - too close to the houses is bad ( especially if it is strong east ).

Here is what an eyewitness described:


"Northside approach from way too far back. Took an asymmetric at like 50', turned 90 degrees, reopened, spun, collapsed negative, riser twist, glider reopened and put him on the airbag pretty hard.  He hit on the dirt road an got up immediately.  Just dusty, will probably be sore in the morning."

If the eyewitness report is accurate then the pilot took a deflation on one side and the over braked the opposite side such that he spun the opposite way of the deflation and even suffered riser twists.

We all need to be reminded that it is a fine balance between pulling enough brake on the open side and not pulling too much. Both extremes can be catastrophic. 

South Side Deflation PG - Non Injury

From the Pilot:

When flying toward the west at the South Side on Saturday, August 18, 2012, around 9:30a, I experienced a right-side deflation toward the western end of the straight part of the ridge. Several tandem and solo gliders were flying the ridge, and the flight had a few small bumps. With the deflation, I was descending quickly and did not react fast enough with appropriate brake, with a small crash up top without hurting myself. A nearby observer noted that I did not have enough brake with the turbulence-induced deflation. In talking with instructors afterward, the important points in this situation were to keep enough brake to prevent deflations, use weight shift and opposite brake as needed, keeping a slight flight angle away from the hill, and practice deflations so you know how they feel and be able to react quickly and appropriately.

Spiral Mis Manage North Side Reserve Deployment Non Injury

Quote from pilot:

"Paraglider malfunction and reserve parachute ride.  wing: Nova Factor 2 (small), reserve parachute: Gin Yeti 40m,  This malfunction was a result of pilot error and could have been prevented by making one more slow turn to bleed off speed or more input on the brakes before the wing came out front."

Notes:

Other contributing factors were that the pilot was on his first test flight on this higher category of glider and he was experimenting with maneuvers. Despite the abrupt spiral exit, he also would have been advised to exercise more brake as the glider surged out in front. Finally, the pilot was apparently in a semi reasonable position for maneuvering as he did not land on anything under reserve. Still a position slightly more south/southwest would have been better from the standpoint of being away from people and obstacles.

Finally, it should be noted that the pilot would have been well advised to carve the glider back in the original  direction of the turn even after he had exited abruptly. This is the best way to dissipate the energy even if it is characteristically "late in the game." To be clear, he could have carved back into it even after the glider was behind him and about to race out in front.

Inspo Power Lines 5/19/12

A pilot attending a thermal clinic at "Inspo" failed to land at an appropriate LZ and ended up running into power lines in a neighborhood.  The pilot passed by several good options for landing in an attempt to make it to the church LZ.  Pilot was not under supervision during the landing phase.  The pilot walked away uninjured and power was lost for part of the neighborhood for several hours.

A few items to be taken away from this incident are:

1.  Walking away from an incident with power lines is a very lucky scenario and often times incidents with power lines can be fatal.
2.  When flying a mountain site, or any site in general, pilots should be very conservative and be willing to land at the first available place when getting low.
3.  If flying cross country, it is always very important to be choosing possible bailout LZ's along the way and providing adequate clearance to reach potential landing zones.
4.  Having a specific flight plan in mind before flying can prevent incidents such as this.
5.  Instructors conducting clinics should have full radio contact with participants at all phases during flight and keep a watchful eye until they land to ensure their safety.

N. Side Student Ankle Fracture PG

A student suffered an ankle fracture at the bottom of the North side in a very light wind landing. Could have happened to anyone. We should all use about as much caution in zero wind as we do in strong wind. Both are technically demanding.

West Mountain PG

A pilot flying low in thermal conditions suffered a series of events that resulted in a hurt back and leg. He was evacuated via helicopter. Avoid flying low over rough terrain in strong thermal conditions.

North Side Stall Spin Mid - Air 6/20/12 PG

An experienced pilot spun and stalled his glider trying to avoid a tandem glider. In the process, he hit the tandem though the tandem was unaffected. He stalled and spun into the steep, sandy, side hill of the lower part of the north side and had a slight concussion but was otherwise un-injured.