Saturday, July 23, 2011

PG accident - The Cove, Central UT July, 22

A beginner paraglider pilot launched late in the evening and did not glide easily to the landing area. The pilot encountered turbulence in a lee side area and experienced subsequent deflations and oscillations resulting in s crash. The pilot was taken to the hospital via helicopter with back and rib injuries. Always fly with a guide at new sites preferably an instructor or team of instructors that will insure your healthy launch-flight-landing via radio guidance. Use extreme caution when flying sites that are characterized by long and sometimes impossible glides to the landing area + other pitfalls ( dicey launch, no landing area... )

Saturday, July 16, 2011

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.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

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.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

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.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

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.