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.