North Side Traffic - Controlled Flight Into Terrain - Injury

A visiting pilot of unknown experience level was taking his first flight on the north side in crowded conditions.  He had received a site briefing and had been soaring for 10 minutes – got in a tight traffic situation and turned toward the hill – was unable to turn away…

The take away from this event is threefold;

Number one try not to let the story be that the traffic caused you to turn toward the hill - better to turn away from the hill early then at the hill late.

Number two, if you must land into a piece of terrain, a person or an object like a vehicle then still flare completely before meeting the object – paragliders are slow enough that with a full flare an encounter with an object can be semi uneventful. 

Number three, if you anticipate an encounter with the terrain then continue to look and lean and turn away - flare and fly the glider throughout the impact in an effort to decrease the velocity of the encounter with the terrain.

The pilots sentiment post event was that he wish he would have headed out to land earlier as he had already had a nice flight and since the traffic was getting worse.

The pilot suffered a fracture of the L2 vertebra.