Friday, October 30, 2015

HG North Side Injury

Sept. A hang glider had a bad landing and suffered a broken ankle.

South Side Mini Wing Spin Event Injury

Oct. 12 a very experienced pilot on a hybrid mini wing ( a large-ish one ) suffered some sort of stall/ spin event. The result was a stable lower back injury. Pilots are reminded that even if you fly regularly and are familiar with your gear, there is a certain random factor that can manifest a surprise event when you least expect it. Pay attention, even in simple and familiar conditions. Use best practices like weight shifting and judicious addition and subtraction of brake to avoid both deflation and on the other hand - spin/ stall events.

North Side Spin/ Stall Event Non-Injury

End of June - A pilot flying old equipment was observed to be flying too deep in the brakes over a several day period. When faced with a traffic situation, he caused an inadvertent spin/ stall and landed in the bushes un-harmed. Avoid stall and spin events by flying current equip and using weight shift to turn. If faced with an inadvertent spin, practice good posture with feet together and elbows in and expect the glider to fly away in short order. Resist the temptation to spread eagle and try to regain equilibrium. If the glider is behind, let off and if it's out front, brake it.

Utah Area XC accident PG

August 9th. An experienced pilot on a competition level glider was landing in suburbia with strong conditions. He suffered a low altitude surprise deflation and a spinal injury along with a leg injury. He is making a full recovery.

South Side PG Accident

June 6th. An experienced local pilot was turning back and forth in strong conditions. On exiting a set of turns, he suffered a full frontal deflation and landed on top of the hill. He suffered a spinal injury and some other injuries that necessitated a long hospital stay. The pilot is making a full albeit difficult and long recovery. Pilots are reminded that the combination of strong conditions and aggressive flying carry added risk and require greater diligence.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

South Side Speed Wing

A visiting pilot was observed to be flying a speed wing in an erratic fashion. While skimming/ running along the hill, he lost control and mistakenly exercised a very big brake input which resulted in him being airborne, turning at the hill with riser twist. He complained of chest pain consistent with potentially broken ribs. This post will be updated as more information becomes available.

Friday, April 17, 2015

HG Ground Handling Non Injury

A HG pilot approaching the N. Side launch from about ten feet back started his acceleration in strong wind. The glider lifted him off the ground and started flying with a strong turn. He came to rest in the bushes below launch.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

South Side HG Top Landing

A pilot turned down wind on a windy day to set up a top landing. He found himself unable to glide forward to the normal landing area and landed just over the edge of the hill in the rotor.

Friday, April 3, 2015

N. Side Speed Flying

A speed flyer encountered sink while on the downwind beat. He added brake to clear the hill when he should have turned away (his commentary). He suffered a broken ankle but was able to make his way down the hill.

S. Side Full Frontal

A visiting pilot launched the South Side, mid afternoon on a very strong ( thermal ) day. He suffered a full frontal deflation and failed to regain control. Little is known about this event as the only pilot to see the event was inexperienced and communication with the pilot was limited due to a language barrier.

S. Side Stall (PG)

A pilot who was getting current after a long hiatus inadvertently stalled his glider while soaring.

N. Side LZ Downwinder PG

A 30 flight ( approx. ) student was landing at the bottom, misinterpreted some radio coaching and carved a low altitude 180 to point straight down wind. He suffered a lower back injury that didn't necessitate ambulance transplant.