Incident Reports - Index
Posted: 2017/11/13 02:35:07 UTC
109-15221
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8615/16487544910_41f57852ac_o.png
The internal search function of this forum - as is the case with most others - is total rubbish. To locate relevant information within the forum beyond the provided links use Google - http://www.google.com - and the following site specific entry format(s):
Aasletten site:http://www.kitestrings.org/
Aasletten Birrenator site:http://www.kitestrings.org/
"Eric Aasletten" site:http://www.kitestrings.org/
(One word - no problem. Multiple words unquoted - finds everything. Quoted - returns only the specific quoted string.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1974/03/16
- Eric Wills - near San Bernardino - killed doing his first 360
--
1976/09/21
- Al Mulazzi - Talcot Mountain, Avon, Connecticut - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/03/05
- Robert Sage - Sierra Vista, Arizona - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/04/17
- Richard Thomson - East Brady, Pennsylvania - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/04/21
- Hans Heumannn - Walberla, Germany - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/05/14
- Klaus Crummenauer - Trier-Riol, Germany - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/05/28
- Zuglian Walter - Bassano del Grappa, Italy - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/06/24
- Bob Wills - Escape Country recreational park, Robinson Ranch, Orange County, California - blown down by chopper filming Jeep commercial - fatal
--
1977/06/27
- Ray Galan - Milford Peak, British Columbia - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/08/19
- Dick Stark - Fraley Mountain, Arlington, Washington - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/09/25
- M. Horvath - Lake Eppalock, Victoria - boat tow - line broke or was prematurely released at 200 feet - fatal
--
1978/04/06
- Bill Flewellyn - Toowoomba, Queensland - vehicle tow during exhibition - rope broke at 100 feet - fatal
--
1978/06/06
- John Walbert, Martha Galvis - Lahaina, Maui - boat tow - new driver - too fast - splice in towline failed - double fatal
--
1978/08/02
- Tim Schwarzenberg - Desert Mountain, SE of Martin, Montana - unhooked to retrieve helmet, hung on for several minutes, fell 400 feet (no parachute apparently) - fatal
--
1978/08/20
- Leon Williams - Bennett Mariah 190 - Sylmar, California - unhooked launch - hung on to basetube until impact with paved road 50 feet below - fatal
--
1979/06/22
- Marvin (Sam) White - Alpha 185 - Chandler Mountain, Steele, Alabama - checked self, unhooked to check cousin's status - fell 150 feet to rocky ledge - fatal
--
1979/09/23
- Clay Lockett - Simi, California - probable leg loops - crashed into the canyon wall - fatal
--
1979/12/31
- Jerome DuPrey - Lookout Mountain, Tennessee - unhooked launch, held onto downtubes until 50-75 feet over LZ - fatal
--
1981/01/18
- Dan Cudney - Spout Springs, North Carolina - Yarnall winch - release actuator on downtube - lockout - fatal
--
1981/04/12
- Joel Lewis - Columbia, South Carolina - Seagull, 10 Meter - Atlantic Ultralight Mini-Hill winch - hands on downtubes, actuator on basetube, missed on first attempt - lockout - hit headfirst - fatal - (my Kitty Hawk Kites instructor roommate at Nags Head in the fall several months before)
--
1982/07/31
- Rob Dunn - UP Comet - Plowshare Mountain, Santa Monica - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1982/10/23
- Donnell Hewett - Kleberg County Airport, IKG, Kingsville, Texas - UP Gemini 164 - crash landed new wheeless glider on asphalt, damaged glider, substantially tore up knees
--
1984/05/07
- John Shook - Wills Wing Duck - Sesace, Arizona - unhooked foot launch tow - separated at 300 feet - fatal
--
1984/10/21
- David Gardner - Phoenix, Arizona - Wills Wing Skyhawk - low level lockout - fatal
--
1985/07/16
- Kevin Bye - Progressive Aircraft ProDawn - Chelan, Washington - US Nationals - tumbled in 'one of those infamous Chelan "killer thermals" (dust devil, TE's guess) - broke leading edge - deployed, walked away
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10756.html#p10759
--
1985/07/17
- Chris Bulger - Lake Chelan Airport, Washington - US Nationals down day - trike tug, early evening, glass air, Chris pulling John Pendry - between 1 and 1.5 thousand feet Chris made abrupt right turn - planes misaligned, chintzy tug release disintegrated, glider's three-ring release one point bridle failed, trike tumbled, Chris with lap belt only was ejected at about 500 feet sans parachute - fatal - fringe activity - no proper explanation for tumble ever given
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10756.html#p10756
--
1985/07/21
- Alegra Davidson - Progressive Aircraft ProDawn - Chelan, Washington - US Nationals - Mansfield, tumbled in dust devil at several thousand feet, deployed, parachute leader wrapped around her upper body, broke five ribs, pinned her to glider, keel mangled a foot upon impact
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10756.html#p10759
--
1986/01/19
- Dan Racanelli - Australian Nationals - electrocuted assisting glider (Rick Rawlings) in powerlines encountered in outlanding
--
1986/09/05
- Stewart Smith - Grandfather Mountain - landing - fatal
--
1987/01/03
- John Preston - 26 - Novice - Flight Designs Super Lancer - Sylmar - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1987/12/01
- Dave Hahn - Duck, North Carolina - midair with George Reeves - fatal
--
1988/04/10
- Robert Porter - Lookout Mountain, Georgia - flew into ground in LZ probably distracted dealing with pod zipper - fatal
--
1988/04/17
- Craig Wendt-Boone - Elizabethville, Pennsylvania - low ridge soaring passes - hit trees - fatal
--
1988/06/11
- Richard A. (Dick) Cassetta - 44 - Advanced - AirWave Magic, full-race - Banning Pass, California - Southern California League Meet - Elsinore to Yucca Valley task - apparently trapped low over last ridge west of Whitewater Canyon by powerlines, windmills, and high gusty winds and forced down - high speed impact - fatal
--
1988/09/04
- Eric Oppie - 32 - Novice - Barr Mountain - Washington - Delta Wing Dream - distracted with radio adjustment - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1988/09/16
- Al Trombly - Michigan - tow, actuator on basetube, probable foot launch - lockout - fatal
--
1989/07/03
- Dave Collins - Hyner - flew into ground attempting to get signed off for Three spot landing requirement - broke neck, ended career
--
1989/10/22
- Jonathan Hill - Novice - Delta Wing Mystic VG Full Race - Merriam Crater, Arizona - first loop attempt, stalled at top - fatal
--
1990/03/29
- Brad Anderson - Flight Designs Javelin - McMinnville, Oregon - platform launch - "pushed out hard enough to release" - whip stall - fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post268.html#p268
--
1990/07/05
- Eric Aasletten - UP Axis - Hobbs, New Mexico - Hobbs Hang Gliding Festival - platform launch - Birrenator configured three-string truck tow release (lanyard routed to wrist, glider pitches up, release auto-blows) - tows conducted minus streamers in known extreme dust devil activity - Eric's ride found a powerful one immediately after launch - fatal - (thank you very much Jerry Forburger)
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post82.html#p82
- http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/9669635371_1ef8dd8d86_o.png
--
1991/05/17
- Lynn Smith - Lookout, Georgia - partial hook-in - fatal
--
1991/06/09
- Harold Austin - 37 - Advanced - Wills Wing Sport - Mount Pleasant, Michigan - winds 8-12 mph from straight to 45 left - foot launch tow with turnaround pulley - Larry Flick, vehicle driver - lower bridle hooked over outboard stub axle (wheels not mounted) - dove in on tow - fatal
--
1991/07/15
- Karen Schenk - 26 - Advanced - Pacific Airwave Magic IV 155 - Big Spring, Texas - probable platform tow - probably banked right by thermal - released - fatal inconvenience stall
--
1991/09/19
- Mark Kerns - 41 - Advanced - Airwave Magic IV, cocoon harness - Wasatch State Park, Utah - missed leg loops, held on for several seconds, slipped through at 200 feet - fatal
--
1991/11/03
- Leonard Rabbitz - 55 - Intermediate - UP Comet I - Elizabethville, Pennsylvania - improperly connected to home rigged glider suspension - configuration supported him through hang check and until 30 off the surface after launch - fell onto basetube, stayed on until ejected upon diving into trees - fatal
--
1991/12/15
- Bo Hagewood / Michael Elliot - Lookout Mountain Flight Park LZ - tandem "instruction" flight - clipped tree coming off of base - student killed - instructor got off with concussion
--
1992/05/17
- Dick Reynolds - Lookout Mountain Flight Park - Dragonfly engine seize at fifty feet - delayed dumping glider, stalled - badly injured in crash
--
1992/06/26
- Philip Sidener - Novice - Flight Designs Lancer - Oatman Mountain, Gila Bend, Arizona - partial hook-in - held until he went upright at 200 feet on final - fatal
--
1992/09/07
- Chris Klein - Mark IV - 600 foot hill, Ed R. Levin County Park, Milpitas, California - slow, turned back into hill, continued pusing out until impact - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=29942
--
1993/09/28
- Dennis Pagen - Morningside - unhooked launch
--
1994/05/18
- Greg Lemieux - Henson primary - overcontrolled at high speed on approach - fatal
--
1994/10/08
- William Hemphill - Galax, Virginia - training hill - stalled - clipped tree - fatal
--
1995/04/29
- John Coleman - High Rock - blown launch - smashed face - career ender
--
1995/06/17
- Wagar Chin - 34 - Novice - Ellenville - acrophobic - hugged slope / contour flew from launch, clipped treetop(s), fell about 50 feet onto highway about 200 vertical feet below launch - fatal
--
1996/04/28
- Frank Sauber - Taylor Farm, King George, Virginia - 38°15'35.52" N, 77°13'19.43" W - scooter tow with Santos Mendoza - easily reachable release - power cut - stall - fatal
--
1996/07/25
- Bill Bennett / Mike Del Signore - Gates Field, Garrettsville, Ohio - aerotow - tandem rating clinic - high underpowered tug in high density altitude conditions with inexperienced driver - double fatal inconvenience stall upon front end weak link blow - inoperable front end two-string release almost turned the incident into a triple
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post410.html#p410
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7946.html#p7946
--
1997/12/27
- Stephen (Steve) John Blenkinsop - Hay, New South Wales - competition, almost certainly foot launch tow - violent lockout to impact still on tow - severe injuries but recovered well
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10771.html#p10771
--
1998/01/10
- Bob Gillisse - McConnellsburg north ramp - unhooked launched - hung on, dove into scree below launch, badly broken up
--
1998/04/28
- Marc Fink - High Point, West Virginia (on Potomac) - unhooked launch - tumbled down slope minus glider - bruised
--
1998/05/15
- Richard Graham - Grover, Colorado - strong crosswind - platform tow - lockout - no attempt to actuate easily reachable release - weak link didn't break when it was supposed to - fatal
--
1998/10/25
- Jamie Alexander / Frank Spears, Jr. - Groveland, Florida - 17:45 - aerotow - - stall - double fatal
--
1999/02/27
- Rob Richardson - Arizona Hang Gliding Center, Dewey, Arizona - tandem thrill ride aerotow, misrouted bridle, took cart up with him, Corey Burk made good decision in the interest of his safety, stall - fatal for pilot, passenger concussion
--
1998/06/06
- Bradford (Brad) Koji - Laminar ST 14 - Lamy, New Mexico - 17:00 - tumbled at about 10K in violent turbulence - parachute leader anchored at forward end of top of harness - leader wrapped at pilots neck and snapped it upon canopy inflation - fatal
- http://ozreport.com/2.021
--
1999/12/11
- Debbie Young - foot launch static tow - Bill Bryden involved - lockout - fatal
--
2000/01/12
- Mike Nooy - Moyes Litespeed - Koch two stage - Australian Nationals, Hay, New South Wales - windy, switchy, dust devils sweeping through launch lines about once every ten minutes, no streamers - foot launch into dust devil - lockout - serious head trauma
- http://ozreport.com/4.010
--
2000/04/26
- Richard Morris Zadorozny - 55 - Advanced Garnet Peak, Laguna Mountains, San Diego County - intended to fly XC - launched unhooked - fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10781.html#p10781
--
2000/08/26
- Ralph Sickinger - Ridgely - Lookout Mountain Flight Park release jam at wave-off
--
2001/12/05
- Terry Spencer - Dickey Ridge, Shenandoah National Park - unhooked launch
--
2002/04/26
- Ed Reno - McConnellsburg - Friday, strong wind, recruited locals crew, turned back into launch area - fatal
--
2002/08/17
- William Allen Woloshyniuk / Victor Douglas Cox - Fort Langley, British Columbia - aerotow - tandem - Double Vision with replacement North Wings sail - separation from Dragonfly at a thousand feet upon success of tow mast breakaway - double fatal - Martin Henry investigation - impetus for the three strand 130 pound Greenspot Dragonfly tow mast breakaway protector to increase the safety of the towing operations even more - although not formally identified / recognized, served as much of the foundation for the bullshit "USHPA - Safety Advisory #1" u$hPa was forced to concoct in the wake of the liability exposure precipitated by the 2005/09/03 Hang Glide Chicago / Gary Solomon / Arlan Birkett / Jeremiah Kaiwiki Thompson double fatal clusterfuck
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post6749.html#p6749
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=865 - 2005/09/09 17:05:50 UTC
--
2003/03/29
- Steve Parson / Eleni Zeri - Queenstown, New Zealand - tandem thrill ride - unhooked passenger - fatal - manslaughter conviction
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post2018.html#p2018
- http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3570773 - A mother's tour pilot's tears prompt admission - NZ Herald
- http://elenizeri.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fam1.jpg
- http://elenizeri.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/int4.jpg
--
2003/04/11
- Chad Elchin - cofounder with Sunny Venesky of Highland Aerosports, Ridgely, Maryland
- Quest - 914 Dragonfly trailered to Quest to help launch Flytec Championship gliders - when tug was reassembled (not by Chad according to a rumor that came my way) the inboard bolt for a wing strut missed the fitting but the strut was held in place by the two relevant plates when the bolt was tightened - configuration held until 400 feet - ballistic parachute was mounted fore of pilot to help balance heavier engine - tangled in wreckage upon firing
--
2003/04/16
- Terry Spencer - Quest - Flytec Championship - augered in after failing to climb out - probable vertigo issue
--
2004/04/24
- Paul Tjaden
- Ridgely, Maryland
- Flew downwind/south 15-20 miles with Lauren. Thermal broke off and reversed airflow in which Paul was about to round out. "Never really had time to flare..." (indicating hands on control tubes), wheels inadequate for soft sandy soil, glider whacked hard but sustained no damage, Paul's left humerus snapped in half. Choppered out.
--
2004/05/17
- Bo Hagewood - Currituck - major dickhead takes borrowed topless with racing wires up and goes aero - wire failure - parachute not connected to harness - long hospitalization
--
2004/06/22
- European Championships, Millau, France
-- Ljubomir Tomaskovic - got turned downwind in turbulence on approach (undoubtedly flying on the control tubes) - severe head and internal injuries, fatal
--- http://ozreport.com/8.133
-- Frank GroenVander - basetube caught landing in high grass - cracked vertebrae
--- http://www.kitestrings.org/post2897.html#p2897
--
2004/06/26
- Mike Haas - Hang Glide Chicago, Cushing Field - aerotow behind Arlan Birkett - strong thermal shortly after launch rolled glider - stalled and died when the Standard Aerotow Weak Link increased the safety of the towing operation - There is no evidence that the pilot made an attempt to release from tow prior to the weak link break, the gate was found closed on the Wallaby-style tow release. There is also no evidence that Arlan made an attempt to release the glider from tow prior to the weak link inconvenience, the gate was also found closed on the tug's tow release. Go figure.
--
2004/08/02
- Davis Straub - Finger Lakes Aerosport Flight Park, Macedon, New York - cart with dangerous castering issue, easily reachable Quallaby release, Standard Aerotow Weak Link - Sport 2 with placebo wheels pulled off of cart and violently nosed nosed in - innocent glider damaged, Davis gets away with 13 stitches in his lip
--
2005/01/09
- Robin Strid - 2005 Worlds, Hay, New South Wales - foot launched aerotow behind Bobby Bailey - lockout, easily reachable Quallaby release, weak link snagged on Wichard spinnaker shackle gate - dove headfirst and slammed in still on tow
--
2005/04/23
- Chris Muller - Quest - Flytec Championship - Wills Wing T2 - attempted in high speed skim to grab goodie bag off top of traffic cone too low probably with arm forward of bar - nosed in - fatal
--
2005/05/29
- Holly Korzilius - Blue Sky, Manquin, Virginia - aerotow behind Tex Forrest trike - misplaced two point bridle, decided to try pro toad for her first time - oscillated with increasing severity - Tex fixed whatever was going on back there by giving her the rope at the extreme of an oscillation cycle - shattered face, wiped short term memory
http://www.kitestrings.org/viewtopic.php?p=10976#p10976
--
2005/07/07
- John Woiwode - SW Wyoming - platform launch - crabbed into left crosswind to stay lined up with truck/tow road - violent lockout - actuated easily reachable release - devastating near fatal impact - career and life as he knew it over
http://ozreport.com/9.191
--
2005/09/03
- Arlan Birkett / Jeremiah Kaiwiki Thompson - Hang Glide Chicago, Cushing Field - uncertified Gary Solomon drove tug high - front end weak link increased the safety of the towing operation - glider went down like brick - double fatal
--
2005/09/11
- Bernard (Bernie) Zwahlen - 17:00, Hughenden Airfield, Queensland - Airborne C2 - surface tow - Nevile Akers, driver - Ian Graham, observer - witnesses: Russel Krautz, Wayne Rankin, Terry Way, James Simpson - inoperable release configuration - no attempt to deploy parachute - fatal
- http://ozreport.com/docs/berniezwahlan.pdf
--
2005/10/01
- William F. (Bill) Priday - Whitwell - Tennessee Tree Toppers Team Challenge - unhooked launch with crew assist - fatal
--
2006/01/19
- James Simpson - Top Gun Challenge, Tocumwal, New South Wales - Dragonfly aerotow - slack line situation, sidewire was snagged - parachute deployed too low
- http://ozreport.com/10.017
--
2006/02/05
- John Dullahan - monster thermal break-off behind seconds before launch - easily reachable release - broken wrist
--
2006/05/05
- Tad Hurst - Torrey - unhooked launch - held on - crashed on beach - broken pelvis
--
2006/05/06
- Nuno Fontes - got crooked on stationary winch tow - driver made good decision in the interest of his safety - stall and devastating injuries
--
2006/08/04
- Jim Freer - Mike Robertson product at same's operation just NE of Toronto - hit powerlines on approach - fatal
--
2006/09/18
- Kevin Rooke - Inwood Lookout, north of Gordons Knob, near Golden Downs, South Island, New Zealand - unhooked launch - minor injuries
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4247
--
2007/06/24
- Mike Onorato - Morningside - Exxtacy rigid - blown stunt landing - quaded - elected to have plug pulled
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=2758
--
2007/10/18
- Bille Floyd - Jean Lake, Nevada - unhooked launch - hydraulic stationary winch - over/under bridle - unhooked to wait out lull - both legs amputated below knees
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post1452.html#p1452
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=4046
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=17330
- http://www.thekiteboarder.com/2010/10/the-unstoppable-billy-floyd/
- The Unstoppable Billy Floyd | The Kiteboarder Magazine
- http://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7220/13949046702_536f0142b4_c.jpg
--
2007/11/05
- Horst Zimmer (Bautek) - Neumagen-Dhron ramp - unhooked launch - fatal
- http://ozreport.com/11.220
--
2008/01/12
- Sheryl J. Zayas - Florida Ridge - aerotow launch on mined runway - career ender
--
2008/02/17
- Janni Papakrivos - Daniels Mountain, Geer, Virginia - got behind treeline approaching LZ - landed in same
--
2008/03/23
- Lauren Tjaden - Quest - failures of primary Quallaby and bent pin backup releases during aerotow lockout exercise while qualifying for tandem aerotow instructor rating
--
2008/04/10
- John Simon - carrier, airline, comp pilot
- Highland Aerosports, Ridgely, Maryland
- Took delivery of new Combat L. Maiden flight, zilch conditions. Ultra safe long straight approach towards designated spot interrupted by taxiway sign. Two broken arms. Monumental distillation of cultural landing stupidity.
--
2008/04/29
- Jeff Craig - Kagel LZ approach - short - demolished head on riverbed boulder - fatal
--
2008/05/18
- Socrates Zayas - Florida Ridge - substantially injured in Standard Aerotow Weak Link inconvenience crash at edge of field
--
2008/06/02
- Carlos Weill - Ridgely - fell out of reach of easily reachable Quallaby release lever in lockout at altitude - rapid 500 foot altitude loss after front end weak link blew
--
2008/06/21
- Richard Seymour - Kagel LZ - missed - crashed into house across street - undoubtedly flying upright on the control tubes
--
2008/08/30
- Kunio Yoshimura - Mingus - unhooked launch - successfully climbed into control frame but failed to hang back and slow down to manageable speed - oscillated down Mountain face - threw parachute about a second too late - fatal
--
2008/09/27
- Axel Banchero - survived Florida Ridge runway obstruction
--
2008/12/30
- Lauren Tjaden - Quest - demolished shoulder with imperfecty timed flare in totally dead air
- http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3695
--
2009/01/03
- Stephen Elliot - 48 - Moyes sailmaker - Forbes Flatlands Hang Gliding Championship - New South Wales - aerotow launch lockout - undoubtedly pro toad with easily reachable release - fatal
- http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10551305
- Pilot joked as he lay dying - NZ Herald
--
2009/01/04
- Jonas Blanton - Lookout Mountain Flight Park - hit tree approaching LZ - fatal
--
2009/01/13
- Zack C - Valle de Bravo - landing - hands trapped on control tubes - two broken arms
- http://vallecrash.blogspot.com/
- Crash at Valle
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15383
- A pilots account of his crash
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=11093
- Blog of a Crash at Valle
--
2009/03/10
- Geraldo Bean / Andrew Scotland - Skytrek - Queenstown - tandem thrill ride - aerobatics - out of column downtube failed - parachute thrown - parachute leader failed at carabiner
--
2009/08/31
- Roy G. Messing - Whitewater - aerotow lockout in glass morning air - piece o' shit Lookout Mountain Flight Park two point release
--
2009/09/19
- Bill Vogel - outlanding - late surprise powerlines - likely flying upright - fatal
--
2009/11/15
- Anthony Ameo - Wallaby - spot landing approach - clipped tree - fatal
--
2009/11/16
- Adam Parer - Gulgong Classic, New South Wales - tumble - delayed parachute deployment - brutal opening shock
--
2009/11/27
- Chris Thale - Henson Gap - started too far back on ramp, blew launch - fatal
--
2010/01/17
- Martin Apopot - Hearne, Texas - stationary winch tow - foot launch - unhooked - moderate injuries
--
2010/01/18
- David Bodner - High Rock, Washington County, Maryland - poor approach - badly shattered humerus, extensive surgery required
- http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4236
--
2010/05/09
- Shannon Moon - Quest - stunt landing attempt - shattered arms, bilateral humerus fractures, radial nerve trauma
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post46.html#p46
- http://ozreport.com/pub/images/R0019247201059.jpg
--
2010/06/26
- John Seward - Packsaddle Mountain, Llano County, Texas - stalled back into launch vicinity downwind - fatal
--
2010/08/18
- Marvin Trudeau - British Columbia - crash into slope - fatal - precipitated HPAC expulsion of his instructor, Steve Parson
--
2010/10/02
- Gordon Boyce - 65 - Point of the Mountain, midair with paraglider, Virgil Davis - fatal (paraglider unharmed)
--
2010/10/13
- Lemuel (Lemmy) Lopez - Edinburg, Texas - student of Donnell Hewett - surface tow lockout - fatal
--
2010/11/06
- Melvin B. Asher - Barker Dam, Houston - training hill - unhooked launch - inconsequential
--
2011/01/15
- Shane Smith - Ak-Chin (Phoenix) Regional Airport - scooter tow, turnaround pulley, barrel release - tow ring had been removed from end of towline, bridle was run through weak link loop serving as tow ring, jam (big surprise), towline cut at winch, glider turned 90, towline snagged before clearing pulley - fatal
- http://sahga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2125
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22660
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=20529
--
2011/01/15
- Doug Prather - Dunlap, California - pond adjacent to primary - low level aerobatics ending in high speed impact resulting in permanent paraplegia - continued flying mountain sites with assisted wheel launches and wheel landings for about another half dozen years, announced that he'd hung it up 2017/11/26 09:01:53 UTC
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkFadjwZgmU
--
2011/04/09
- Yossi Tsarfaty - Sea of Galilee, Israel - unhooked launch in high winds, instinctively grabbed onto basetube, hung on for fifty seconds with glider in dive towards LZ - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=21474
--
2011/05/11
- Julia Kucherenko - Flytec Race and Rally, Souther Field, Americus, Georgia - Combat 12 - small glider on cart which didn't allow low keel bracket adjustment - piled in upon launch attempt, knocked unconscious, face damaged, choppered out, Task 4 cancelled
--
2011/05/20
- Eric Mies - Funston - blown low level aerobatic maneuver - quaded - ultimately fatal
--
2011/06/06
- Tim Martin - Henson - caught in gust front - fatal impact trying to get down into primary
--
2011/07/23
- Keavy Ruth Nenninger - Ridgely - Dragonfly, N402HA - unable to accelerate and climb, dumped tandem ride, still clung low, turned back to field, climbed to 200 feet spun in
--
2011/10/28
- Lois Preston - Derbyshire Flying Centre, Tideswell, England - aerotow lockout on oversized glider - fatal
--
2012/04/05
- David Charles Seib - Super Race Brasil, Serra da Tormenta, Carmo do Rio Claro, Minas Gerais, ground looped back into launch - serious multiple thoracic trauma - fatal
--
2012/04/28
- William Jonathan Orders / Lenami Godinez-Avila - Mount Woodside, Harrison Mills, British Columbia - tandem thrill ride - unhooked passenger, fatal - pilot swallowed video card upon landing - most widespread mainstream media impact in the history of the sport - manslaughter conviction
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post2018.html#p2018
- http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7756/17611618853_55f0686914_o.jpg
- http://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1549/25567385934_7f7e2cf5a9_o.jpg
--
2012/05/19
- Orion Price - stunt landing - broken humerus (found dead in his apartment 2016 of "medical complications" (read opioid drug overdose))
--
2012/05/26
- Charles Matthews - Lookout Mountain Flight Park - non tow Dragonfly flight - tip stalled into ridge
--
2012/05/27
- Mike Ivey - Kagel LZ - stunt landing - plowed into windsock pole - snapped right humerus
--
2012/06/06
- Paul M. Vernon
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- Nosed in in wheat field outlanding - devastating brain injury.
--
2012/06/11
- Michael Richard Wood - Freedom Flight Park, Lumby, British Columbia - cartwheeled on approach - fatal
--
2012/06/16
- Terry James Mason - Leaky, Texas - platform tow - under control of Sam Kellner - probable stall after whatever was going on back there was fixed with the dump lever - fatal
--
2012/06/24
- Brent Benoist - NE LZ, Mount Nebo, Arkansas - turned onto final too high, ran out of runway, attempted left 180, caught tip, ground looped - permanently mushed brain
--
2012/06/29
- Gregory Jones - Towers Launch, Grebloville - unhooked launch - crashed into bushes 50-60 feet below launch, walked away
--
2012/07/04
- Eric Thorstenson - Chelan - blown foot launch - choppered out - seriously spinal injuries, paralysis
--
2012/08/03
- Dan Veneman - Glacier Point, Yosemite, clipped tree with left wing exiting launch, spun back into slope - choppered out - seriously injured
--
2012/10/03
- Bob Buxton - platform launch, misrouted bridle, easily reachable release, observer studiously observing hydraulic pressure gauge - devastating brain injury
--
2012/10/05~
- Paul Edwards - Henson Gap / TTT Team Challenge - foot launch tow - squashed right eye socket, bruises around eye, several fractures in nose
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post3119.html#p3119
- http://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1686/26243219165_68d31e1e91_o.png
--
2012/11/04
- Frank Murphy - Darbyville, Ohio - attempted to tow on Dragonfly N667DF with cold engine - total power loss at 80 feet - dumped glider, crash landed - minor injuries - major tug damage
--
2013/02/02
- Zachary James Marzec - Hang 4 tandem aerotow instructor - Moyes Xtralite double surface glider - Quest - aerotow - Mark Frutiger driving 914 Dragonfly - pro toad with Standard Aerotow Weak Link - smooth, powerful, monster thermal encountered by tug - both pilots elected to continue tow - glider pitched up beyond pilot's control - weak link increased the safety of the towing operation - glider experienced severe inconvenience stall at 150 feet and tumbled twice prior to fatal impact - permanent collapse of the Standard Aerotow Weak Link Ponzi scheme - the most historically important crash in the history of hang glider towing
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post3587.html#p3587
- http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8394/8696380718_787dbc0005_o.png
- http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3728/9655895292_f4f808fb0e_o.png
- http://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4206/34382765173_5060b70475_o.png
- http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/9655904048_89cce6423a_o.png
- http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/9679308696_774135d261_o.png
--
2013/05/26
- Lea Kerr - Litespeed S4 - Long Mynd - nose in - massive fracture of the C6 area - major paralysis
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34886
--
2013/05/30
- Grant Bond - 45 - Combat 2 14 - Mount Bakewell, York, Western Australia, 13:50 - blown foot launch - may have clipped tree and been spun back into rocks - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=29164
--
2013/06/15
- Lin Lyons - Tres Pinos, Hollister, California - Mission Soaring Center - Hang 2 - stationary winch tow using state-of-the-art equipment, Harold Johnson driving - student connected state-of-the-art three-string release out of sequence and thus turned it into a state-of-the-art locking mechanism - towed to full altitude and transitioned to dive as bridle pulled bar back - SPECTACULAR high quality video from wing camera, the best by far hang gliding disaster film ever recorded and not shredded or swallowed by a commercial player - totally fatal save for a parachute deployment with several seconds to spare which rendered the situation virtually totally harmless - note that state-of-the-art surface towing systems don't include guillotines at winches - prequel to 2015/03/27 Jean Lake and 2016/04/03 Tres Pinos fatals
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7482.html#p7482
-
--
2013/06/23
- Kevin O'Brien - aerotow, Robert R. Wells Junior Airport (K66R), Columbus, Texas - drifted to the north out of range, tried to stay close rather than bailing downwind, snapped powerlines on final in restricted death-trap field just north of airport - fatal
--
2013/07/21
- Luis Rizo, pilot / Sara Reynaud, passenger - SE of Aigneville, Eure-et-Loir Department, France - 48°13.021', 1°29.794' - tandem aerotow - trike tug flown by Scott Sigal, North Wing T2 tandem glider, dolly, Joe Street two point release - probably slow, underpowered tow - glider drifted left, released at about 60 meters, tip stalled back into surface - bent port leading edge, downtubes trashed - pilot killed, passenger seriously injured
- http://ozreport.com/17.146
--
2013/08/02
- Greg Porter - Mingus - leg loops - landed - not injured
--
2013/08/21
- Robert Burgis - unhooked launch - Kagel - minor injuries, glider majorly trashed
- http://www.shga.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4127
- http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5566/14704620965_ce30a874b7_o.png
--
2013/12/16
- Anonymous new aerotow pilot - prior to above video posting date - Barry Hazelwood Flight Park, Lameroo, South Australia - 35°23'20.22" S, 140°20'31.52" E - Airborne Sting 3, two point bridle, easily reachable bridle apex release - trike tug flown by MrSkytime - video posted by Harrison Rowntree - high tug, glider rolls left beyond a hundred degrees before 1.5 G weak link blows, rolls to 180 before glider pitches out and recovers - spectacular video
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn4cTQH743E
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35257
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=30483
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post5464.html#p5464
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7478.html#p7478
--
2014/02/24
- Mark Knight - Ak-Chin/Phoenix Regional Airport - evening - Dragonfly, not towing, low, spun in - never any hint of an explanation or concern within the "community about the issue - Keavy Nenninger redux
--
2014/06/02
- Joe Schmucker
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- Failed attempt to penetrate in strong south back south to airport. Mushed down through severe gradient and stalled into soft newly planted cornfield. Violent impact, destroyed control frame, but escaped consequential injury.
--
2014/06/02
- John Claytor - Virginia - 67393 - H4 - 2007/01/08 - Steve Wendt - AT FL PL ST RLF TUR XC
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- strong cross from the South, launching to the West (90 cross) on improvised grass strip angled off from near the main runway's ENE end
- Wills Wing Talon 160 - pro toad - twin bent pin barrels with matching Standard Aerotow Weak Links - nose set high on cart
- Launched in strong cross cycle, crosswind gust lifted left wing, lost left hold-down, glider twisted 20 degrees and shifted to the right, pushed out to separate from cart while accelerating, right tip hit, glider crashed, Standard Aerotow Weak Link increased the safety of the towing operation (while unidentified Dragonfly driver did nothing to fix whatever was going on back there by giving John the rope), snapped left downtube. John impacted simultaneously with right side of helmet and right shoulder. Free flew in pain for thirty minutes on 2014/06/06 and forty minutes on 2014/06/07. On 2014/06/10 was diagnosed as probably having sustained a compressed or damaged disk. Never heard from again following 2014/06/13 16:42:43 UTC report.
--
2014/06/04
- John Dullahan
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- Litesport 4 - NW 6-8 mph
- Was not controlling glider well after non problematic tow to normal release altitude. Long oscillating final to the NW, at 40 feet undoubtedly tip stalled to the left resulting in port sidewire being snagged by aviation fuel sign above tanks. Glider pivoted and dove in at 45 degree angle. Impacted prone / headfirst. Choppered out with fractured T-2,4,5 vertebrae, scapula, rib.
--
2014/06/01
- Dan Lukaszewicz - Alexandria, Virginia - 88871 - H3 - 2012/08/23 - Steve Wendt - AT FL PL ST 360 CL FSL
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- Blown foot landing near Sport Class goal - broken humerus.
--
2014/08/31
- Adam Parer - Newcastle Beach - aerobatics, failed to check for traffic, dodged same, tumbled, clipped powerlines, crashed into house - fatal
--
2014/09/29
- Joe Julik - Whitewater - approach in strong turbulence - turned downwind - fatal
--
2015/01/24
- Trevor Scott - Mount Cole, east of Ararat, Victoria - 13:30 - down in trees on slope - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32366
--
2015/03/27
- John Kelly Harrison / Arys Thoring Moorhead - Jean Lake, Nevada - tandem thrill ride - astronomically fucked up platform launched truck tow - double fatal - world record for youngest victim (11) - most devastating crash in the history of the sport, massive cover-up conspiracy
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7619.html#p7619
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7910.html#p7910
- http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7631/16788883490_cd608b146c_o.png
- http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7597/16975005972_c450d2cdda_o.png
- http://c1.staticflickr.com/1/773/23175746459_d2d5580a36_o.png
--
2015/05/09
- Markus Schaedler - Kagel - slow in strong thermal turbulence - tumbled - fatal
--
2015/05/17
- Scott Trueblood - Mountain Wings product - Ellenville - crashed into slope in ridge soaring conditions - fatal
- http://www.dailyfreeman.com/article/DF/20150518/NEWS/150519627
--
2015/06/20
- Bertrand Delacroix - Ridgely - probable deliberately induced spin from which he failed to recover - fatal
--
2015/06/26
- Trey Higgins - Slide Mountain - scratching shortly after and close to but out of site of launch - fatal
--
2015/07/23
- Javier Yunquera - free flying at Ager Spanish Hang Gliding Championships - Woody Valley Tenax harness suspension failed - deployed LARA parachute, leader failed
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=33196
--
2015/08/23
- Rafael (Rafi) Lavin - Funston - sidewires load tested immediately upon launch, one failed at inboard nico - topless glider remained intact but uncontrollable, turned back into cliff - fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post8268.html#p8268
- http://forum.hanggliding.org/download/file.php?id=26105
- http://forum.hanggliding.org/download/file.php?id=26115
- http://forum.hanggliding.org/download/file.php?id=26118
--
2015/08/24
- Craig Pirazzi - Canyonlands National Park - moving glider to launch at cliff face, hooked in and unassisted in strong air - sucked over edge by rotor - fatal
--
2015/09/24
- Thibault Demange - T2C - Saint-Hilaire-du-Touvet, France - blown aerobatics in turbulence - parachute fouled - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=33438
- http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/accident-coupe-icare-pilote-delta-decede-811477.html
--
2015/10/02
- Michael Bayliss - unwitnessed - probable low altitude stall
--
2015/10/09
- Darren Rickertt - 40 - Canungra Classic XC comp - unwitnessed - down in trees near end of Biddaddaba Creek Road, Nindooinbah - 28°02'02.47" S, 153°05'58.10" E - fatal
- http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/tributes-flow-for-gold-coast-hang-glider-darren-rickertt/news-story/d1837bb7c5ca1bd994b03773d322ff32
--
2015/10/11
- Jesse Fulkersin - 62 - Hyner, Pennsylvania - primary - final - inadequate speed and control - fatal
--
2015/11/01
- Uli Blumenthal - 68 - Bavarian Alps - foot launch - caught wingtip on tree - fatal
--
2015/11/08
- Karen Carra - High Rock, Appalachian Trail, Maryland - light air cliff launch - stalled - fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post8662.html#p8662
--
2016/01/28
- Ken Muscio, 75, Advanced / Stan Albright - McClure - 14:00 - working light thermal lift with about 200 feet clearance - midair - fatal for former, latter landed
--
2016/02/02
- Tomas Banevicius - Dunnellon, Florida - surface tow - fatal
--
2016/03/17
- Jack Barth - 70 - 1979 - H4 - Crestline / Andy Jackson Airpark - 2.5 hour flight - with wheels - moderate steady wind in LZ - flared aggressively (textbook) - climbed 10 to 15 feet - held flare (textbook) - pancaked - unable to clear right arm - severely blew out elbow - first retirement from the sport, end of a great ride
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=34176
--
2016/04/03
- Nancy P. Tachibana - Tres Pinos, Hollister, California - Mission Soaring Center - Hang 1 - stationary winch tow using state of the art equipment, Pat Denevan driving - practicing linked 90 degree turns - turned away from turnaround pulley at approximately 350 feet still on tow - bar was pulled back, glider dove in - fatal - still no fucking guillotine
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post9240.html#p9240
- http://theschoolmarm.com/wp-content/uploads/12985530_10153582644161705_2102737968588164930_n.jpg
--
2016/05/21
- Jeffrey Lawrence Bohl - Quest - aerotow lockout - pro toad, easily reachable bent pin release - crosswind / short runway - underpowered Dragonfly tug, unidentified driver - 400 pound towline weak link broke the instant before the tug released - fatal inconvenience stall
--
2016/06/29
- Larry Heidler - Crestline - unassisted launch - 180ed back in and impacted and stuck in pine - fatal
--
2016/08/13
- Gianpietro Zin
--
2016/09/16
- Ron Keinan - Santa Cruz Flats Race, west of Stanfield, Arizona - killed too much altitude with approach pattern - clipped tree on final - TBI
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10333.html#p10333
--
2016/11/13
- Joseph Stearn - Brace Mountain - New York (and within fractions of a mile of Massachusetts and Connecticut) - primary - half fatal compromise of approach to execute spot landing - broken vertebrae - no wheels -
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=34930
- http://www.gofundme.com/joe-stearns-recovery-fund
- http://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/16169654_1479679419.5231_funddescription.jpg
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZuo-ansYGg
--
2017/04/01
- Jack Barth - 71 - 1979 - H4 - Lake Elsinore - last set up glider on launch - launch conditions cycling up and down - started launch in up cycle, wing started to lift then mushed - right tip snagged bush at end of launch - boomeranged back into boulder strewn slope 200 feet below launch with tip stall - crashed into boulder - chest mounted parachute (Tracer harness) limited chest damage to cracked sternum and broken ribs - broken left femur - glider destroyed to facilitate rescue chopper - choppered out to ambulance - $2.5K ambulance ride to hospital - week in hospital, $160K - clotting issues - eight month recovery - "I had flown 38 yrs at the E and most of my fellow Eteamers had blown launch at least once. I guess I couldn't be the exception." - second retirement from the sport
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35245
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35347
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35385
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35430
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35845
--
2017/09/04
- Mark Henline - Mount Zion (Lookout), Golden Colorado - Sport 2C 155 - "Once Mark turned south and past the south point he put himself in the lee side of the hill and south point". fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10775.html#p10775
- http://rmhpa.org/messageboard/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6473
--
2017/12/30
- Emma Adele Martin - Forbes Flatlands Day 2 - paddock near Parkes short of Peak Hill Airport goal - failed stunt landing attempt in strong thermal turbulence, downwind crash
--
2018/01/01
- Niki Longshore - Forbes Flatlands Day 2 - Moyes RX 3.5 Pro - racing at over 8000 feet, tumbled in turbulence, glider demolished, parachute leader tangled with neck but canopy failed to inflate (otherwise Brad Koji redux) - got canopy inflated after clearing leader - spun to safe landing save for minor ankle injury
--
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8615/16487544910_41f57852ac_o.png
The internal search function of this forum - as is the case with most others - is total rubbish. To locate relevant information within the forum beyond the provided links use Google - http://www.google.com - and the following site specific entry format(s):
Aasletten site:http://www.kitestrings.org/
Aasletten Birrenator site:http://www.kitestrings.org/
"Eric Aasletten" site:http://www.kitestrings.org/
(One word - no problem. Multiple words unquoted - finds everything. Quoted - returns only the specific quoted string.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1974/03/16
- Eric Wills - near San Bernardino - killed doing his first 360
--
1976/09/21
- Al Mulazzi - Talcot Mountain, Avon, Connecticut - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/03/05
- Robert Sage - Sierra Vista, Arizona - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/04/17
- Richard Thomson - East Brady, Pennsylvania - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/04/21
- Hans Heumannn - Walberla, Germany - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/05/14
- Klaus Crummenauer - Trier-Riol, Germany - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/05/28
- Zuglian Walter - Bassano del Grappa, Italy - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/06/24
- Bob Wills - Escape Country recreational park, Robinson Ranch, Orange County, California - blown down by chopper filming Jeep commercial - fatal
--
1977/06/27
- Ray Galan - Milford Peak, British Columbia - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/08/19
- Dick Stark - Fraley Mountain, Arlington, Washington - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1977/09/25
- M. Horvath - Lake Eppalock, Victoria - boat tow - line broke or was prematurely released at 200 feet - fatal
--
1978/04/06
- Bill Flewellyn - Toowoomba, Queensland - vehicle tow during exhibition - rope broke at 100 feet - fatal
--
1978/06/06
- John Walbert, Martha Galvis - Lahaina, Maui - boat tow - new driver - too fast - splice in towline failed - double fatal
--
1978/08/02
- Tim Schwarzenberg - Desert Mountain, SE of Martin, Montana - unhooked to retrieve helmet, hung on for several minutes, fell 400 feet (no parachute apparently) - fatal
--
1978/08/20
- Leon Williams - Bennett Mariah 190 - Sylmar, California - unhooked launch - hung on to basetube until impact with paved road 50 feet below - fatal
--
1979/06/22
- Marvin (Sam) White - Alpha 185 - Chandler Mountain, Steele, Alabama - checked self, unhooked to check cousin's status - fell 150 feet to rocky ledge - fatal
--
1979/09/23
- Clay Lockett - Simi, California - probable leg loops - crashed into the canyon wall - fatal
--
1979/12/31
- Jerome DuPrey - Lookout Mountain, Tennessee - unhooked launch, held onto downtubes until 50-75 feet over LZ - fatal
--
1981/01/18
- Dan Cudney - Spout Springs, North Carolina - Yarnall winch - release actuator on downtube - lockout - fatal
--
1981/04/12
- Joel Lewis - Columbia, South Carolina - Seagull, 10 Meter - Atlantic Ultralight Mini-Hill winch - hands on downtubes, actuator on basetube, missed on first attempt - lockout - hit headfirst - fatal - (my Kitty Hawk Kites instructor roommate at Nags Head in the fall several months before)
--
1982/07/31
- Rob Dunn - UP Comet - Plowshare Mountain, Santa Monica - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1982/10/23
- Donnell Hewett - Kleberg County Airport, IKG, Kingsville, Texas - UP Gemini 164 - crash landed new wheeless glider on asphalt, damaged glider, substantially tore up knees
--
1984/05/07
- John Shook - Wills Wing Duck - Sesace, Arizona - unhooked foot launch tow - separated at 300 feet - fatal
--
1984/10/21
- David Gardner - Phoenix, Arizona - Wills Wing Skyhawk - low level lockout - fatal
--
1985/07/16
- Kevin Bye - Progressive Aircraft ProDawn - Chelan, Washington - US Nationals - tumbled in 'one of those infamous Chelan "killer thermals" (dust devil, TE's guess) - broke leading edge - deployed, walked away
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10756.html#p10759
--
1985/07/17
- Chris Bulger - Lake Chelan Airport, Washington - US Nationals down day - trike tug, early evening, glass air, Chris pulling John Pendry - between 1 and 1.5 thousand feet Chris made abrupt right turn - planes misaligned, chintzy tug release disintegrated, glider's three-ring release one point bridle failed, trike tumbled, Chris with lap belt only was ejected at about 500 feet sans parachute - fatal - fringe activity - no proper explanation for tumble ever given
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10756.html#p10756
--
1985/07/21
- Alegra Davidson - Progressive Aircraft ProDawn - Chelan, Washington - US Nationals - Mansfield, tumbled in dust devil at several thousand feet, deployed, parachute leader wrapped around her upper body, broke five ribs, pinned her to glider, keel mangled a foot upon impact
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10756.html#p10759
--
1986/01/19
- Dan Racanelli - Australian Nationals - electrocuted assisting glider (Rick Rawlings) in powerlines encountered in outlanding
--
1986/09/05
- Stewart Smith - Grandfather Mountain - landing - fatal
--
1987/01/03
- John Preston - 26 - Novice - Flight Designs Super Lancer - Sylmar - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1987/12/01
- Dave Hahn - Duck, North Carolina - midair with George Reeves - fatal
--
1988/04/10
- Robert Porter - Lookout Mountain, Georgia - flew into ground in LZ probably distracted dealing with pod zipper - fatal
--
1988/04/17
- Craig Wendt-Boone - Elizabethville, Pennsylvania - low ridge soaring passes - hit trees - fatal
--
1988/06/11
- Richard A. (Dick) Cassetta - 44 - Advanced - AirWave Magic, full-race - Banning Pass, California - Southern California League Meet - Elsinore to Yucca Valley task - apparently trapped low over last ridge west of Whitewater Canyon by powerlines, windmills, and high gusty winds and forced down - high speed impact - fatal
--
1988/09/04
- Eric Oppie - 32 - Novice - Barr Mountain - Washington - Delta Wing Dream - distracted with radio adjustment - unhooked launch - fatal
--
1988/09/16
- Al Trombly - Michigan - tow, actuator on basetube, probable foot launch - lockout - fatal
--
1989/07/03
- Dave Collins - Hyner - flew into ground attempting to get signed off for Three spot landing requirement - broke neck, ended career
--
1989/10/22
- Jonathan Hill - Novice - Delta Wing Mystic VG Full Race - Merriam Crater, Arizona - first loop attempt, stalled at top - fatal
--
1990/03/29
- Brad Anderson - Flight Designs Javelin - McMinnville, Oregon - platform launch - "pushed out hard enough to release" - whip stall - fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post268.html#p268
--
1990/07/05
- Eric Aasletten - UP Axis - Hobbs, New Mexico - Hobbs Hang Gliding Festival - platform launch - Birrenator configured three-string truck tow release (lanyard routed to wrist, glider pitches up, release auto-blows) - tows conducted minus streamers in known extreme dust devil activity - Eric's ride found a powerful one immediately after launch - fatal - (thank you very much Jerry Forburger)
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post82.html#p82
- http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/9669635371_1ef8dd8d86_o.png
--
1991/05/17
- Lynn Smith - Lookout, Georgia - partial hook-in - fatal
--
1991/06/09
- Harold Austin - 37 - Advanced - Wills Wing Sport - Mount Pleasant, Michigan - winds 8-12 mph from straight to 45 left - foot launch tow with turnaround pulley - Larry Flick, vehicle driver - lower bridle hooked over outboard stub axle (wheels not mounted) - dove in on tow - fatal
--
1991/07/15
- Karen Schenk - 26 - Advanced - Pacific Airwave Magic IV 155 - Big Spring, Texas - probable platform tow - probably banked right by thermal - released - fatal inconvenience stall
--
1991/09/19
- Mark Kerns - 41 - Advanced - Airwave Magic IV, cocoon harness - Wasatch State Park, Utah - missed leg loops, held on for several seconds, slipped through at 200 feet - fatal
--
1991/11/03
- Leonard Rabbitz - 55 - Intermediate - UP Comet I - Elizabethville, Pennsylvania - improperly connected to home rigged glider suspension - configuration supported him through hang check and until 30 off the surface after launch - fell onto basetube, stayed on until ejected upon diving into trees - fatal
--
1991/12/15
- Bo Hagewood / Michael Elliot - Lookout Mountain Flight Park LZ - tandem "instruction" flight - clipped tree coming off of base - student killed - instructor got off with concussion
--
1992/05/17
- Dick Reynolds - Lookout Mountain Flight Park - Dragonfly engine seize at fifty feet - delayed dumping glider, stalled - badly injured in crash
--
1992/06/26
- Philip Sidener - Novice - Flight Designs Lancer - Oatman Mountain, Gila Bend, Arizona - partial hook-in - held until he went upright at 200 feet on final - fatal
--
1992/09/07
- Chris Klein - Mark IV - 600 foot hill, Ed R. Levin County Park, Milpitas, California - slow, turned back into hill, continued pusing out until impact - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=29942
--
1993/09/28
- Dennis Pagen - Morningside - unhooked launch
--
1994/05/18
- Greg Lemieux - Henson primary - overcontrolled at high speed on approach - fatal
--
1994/10/08
- William Hemphill - Galax, Virginia - training hill - stalled - clipped tree - fatal
--
1995/04/29
- John Coleman - High Rock - blown launch - smashed face - career ender
--
1995/06/17
- Wagar Chin - 34 - Novice - Ellenville - acrophobic - hugged slope / contour flew from launch, clipped treetop(s), fell about 50 feet onto highway about 200 vertical feet below launch - fatal
--
1996/04/28
- Frank Sauber - Taylor Farm, King George, Virginia - 38°15'35.52" N, 77°13'19.43" W - scooter tow with Santos Mendoza - easily reachable release - power cut - stall - fatal
--
1996/07/25
- Bill Bennett / Mike Del Signore - Gates Field, Garrettsville, Ohio - aerotow - tandem rating clinic - high underpowered tug in high density altitude conditions with inexperienced driver - double fatal inconvenience stall upon front end weak link blow - inoperable front end two-string release almost turned the incident into a triple
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post410.html#p410
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7946.html#p7946
--
1997/12/27
- Stephen (Steve) John Blenkinsop - Hay, New South Wales - competition, almost certainly foot launch tow - violent lockout to impact still on tow - severe injuries but recovered well
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10771.html#p10771
--
1998/01/10
- Bob Gillisse - McConnellsburg north ramp - unhooked launched - hung on, dove into scree below launch, badly broken up
--
1998/04/28
- Marc Fink - High Point, West Virginia (on Potomac) - unhooked launch - tumbled down slope minus glider - bruised
--
1998/05/15
- Richard Graham - Grover, Colorado - strong crosswind - platform tow - lockout - no attempt to actuate easily reachable release - weak link didn't break when it was supposed to - fatal
--
1998/10/25
- Jamie Alexander / Frank Spears, Jr. - Groveland, Florida - 17:45 - aerotow - - stall - double fatal
--
1999/02/27
- Rob Richardson - Arizona Hang Gliding Center, Dewey, Arizona - tandem thrill ride aerotow, misrouted bridle, took cart up with him, Corey Burk made good decision in the interest of his safety, stall - fatal for pilot, passenger concussion
--
1998/06/06
- Bradford (Brad) Koji - Laminar ST 14 - Lamy, New Mexico - 17:00 - tumbled at about 10K in violent turbulence - parachute leader anchored at forward end of top of harness - leader wrapped at pilots neck and snapped it upon canopy inflation - fatal
- http://ozreport.com/2.021
--
1999/12/11
- Debbie Young - foot launch static tow - Bill Bryden involved - lockout - fatal
--
2000/01/12
- Mike Nooy - Moyes Litespeed - Koch two stage - Australian Nationals, Hay, New South Wales - windy, switchy, dust devils sweeping through launch lines about once every ten minutes, no streamers - foot launch into dust devil - lockout - serious head trauma
- http://ozreport.com/4.010
--
2000/04/26
- Richard Morris Zadorozny - 55 - Advanced Garnet Peak, Laguna Mountains, San Diego County - intended to fly XC - launched unhooked - fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10781.html#p10781
--
2000/08/26
- Ralph Sickinger - Ridgely - Lookout Mountain Flight Park release jam at wave-off
--
2001/12/05
- Terry Spencer - Dickey Ridge, Shenandoah National Park - unhooked launch
--
2002/04/26
- Ed Reno - McConnellsburg - Friday, strong wind, recruited locals crew, turned back into launch area - fatal
--
2002/08/17
- William Allen Woloshyniuk / Victor Douglas Cox - Fort Langley, British Columbia - aerotow - tandem - Double Vision with replacement North Wings sail - separation from Dragonfly at a thousand feet upon success of tow mast breakaway - double fatal - Martin Henry investigation - impetus for the three strand 130 pound Greenspot Dragonfly tow mast breakaway protector to increase the safety of the towing operations even more - although not formally identified / recognized, served as much of the foundation for the bullshit "USHPA - Safety Advisory #1" u$hPa was forced to concoct in the wake of the liability exposure precipitated by the 2005/09/03 Hang Glide Chicago / Gary Solomon / Arlan Birkett / Jeremiah Kaiwiki Thompson double fatal clusterfuck
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post6749.html#p6749
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=865 - 2005/09/09 17:05:50 UTC
--
2003/03/29
- Steve Parson / Eleni Zeri - Queenstown, New Zealand - tandem thrill ride - unhooked passenger - fatal - manslaughter conviction
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post2018.html#p2018
- http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3570773 - A mother's tour pilot's tears prompt admission - NZ Herald
- http://elenizeri.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fam1.jpg
- http://elenizeri.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/int4.jpg
--
2003/04/11
- Chad Elchin - cofounder with Sunny Venesky of Highland Aerosports, Ridgely, Maryland
- Quest - 914 Dragonfly trailered to Quest to help launch Flytec Championship gliders - when tug was reassembled (not by Chad according to a rumor that came my way) the inboard bolt for a wing strut missed the fitting but the strut was held in place by the two relevant plates when the bolt was tightened - configuration held until 400 feet - ballistic parachute was mounted fore of pilot to help balance heavier engine - tangled in wreckage upon firing
--
2003/04/16
- Terry Spencer - Quest - Flytec Championship - augered in after failing to climb out - probable vertigo issue
--
2004/04/24
- Paul Tjaden
- Ridgely, Maryland
- Flew downwind/south 15-20 miles with Lauren. Thermal broke off and reversed airflow in which Paul was about to round out. "Never really had time to flare..." (indicating hands on control tubes), wheels inadequate for soft sandy soil, glider whacked hard but sustained no damage, Paul's left humerus snapped in half. Choppered out.
--
2004/05/17
- Bo Hagewood - Currituck - major dickhead takes borrowed topless with racing wires up and goes aero - wire failure - parachute not connected to harness - long hospitalization
--
2004/06/22
- European Championships, Millau, France
-- Ljubomir Tomaskovic - got turned downwind in turbulence on approach (undoubtedly flying on the control tubes) - severe head and internal injuries, fatal
--- http://ozreport.com/8.133
-- Frank GroenVander - basetube caught landing in high grass - cracked vertebrae
--- http://www.kitestrings.org/post2897.html#p2897
--
2004/06/26
- Mike Haas - Hang Glide Chicago, Cushing Field - aerotow behind Arlan Birkett - strong thermal shortly after launch rolled glider - stalled and died when the Standard Aerotow Weak Link increased the safety of the towing operation - There is no evidence that the pilot made an attempt to release from tow prior to the weak link break, the gate was found closed on the Wallaby-style tow release. There is also no evidence that Arlan made an attempt to release the glider from tow prior to the weak link inconvenience, the gate was also found closed on the tug's tow release. Go figure.
--
2004/08/02
- Davis Straub - Finger Lakes Aerosport Flight Park, Macedon, New York - cart with dangerous castering issue, easily reachable Quallaby release, Standard Aerotow Weak Link - Sport 2 with placebo wheels pulled off of cart and violently nosed nosed in - innocent glider damaged, Davis gets away with 13 stitches in his lip
--
2005/01/09
- Robin Strid - 2005 Worlds, Hay, New South Wales - foot launched aerotow behind Bobby Bailey - lockout, easily reachable Quallaby release, weak link snagged on Wichard spinnaker shackle gate - dove headfirst and slammed in still on tow
--
2005/04/23
- Chris Muller - Quest - Flytec Championship - Wills Wing T2 - attempted in high speed skim to grab goodie bag off top of traffic cone too low probably with arm forward of bar - nosed in - fatal
--
2005/05/29
- Holly Korzilius - Blue Sky, Manquin, Virginia - aerotow behind Tex Forrest trike - misplaced two point bridle, decided to try pro toad for her first time - oscillated with increasing severity - Tex fixed whatever was going on back there by giving her the rope at the extreme of an oscillation cycle - shattered face, wiped short term memory
http://www.kitestrings.org/viewtopic.php?p=10976#p10976
--
2005/07/07
- John Woiwode - SW Wyoming - platform launch - crabbed into left crosswind to stay lined up with truck/tow road - violent lockout - actuated easily reachable release - devastating near fatal impact - career and life as he knew it over
http://ozreport.com/9.191
--
2005/09/03
- Arlan Birkett / Jeremiah Kaiwiki Thompson - Hang Glide Chicago, Cushing Field - uncertified Gary Solomon drove tug high - front end weak link increased the safety of the towing operation - glider went down like brick - double fatal
--
2005/09/11
- Bernard (Bernie) Zwahlen - 17:00, Hughenden Airfield, Queensland - Airborne C2 - surface tow - Nevile Akers, driver - Ian Graham, observer - witnesses: Russel Krautz, Wayne Rankin, Terry Way, James Simpson - inoperable release configuration - no attempt to deploy parachute - fatal
- http://ozreport.com/docs/berniezwahlan.pdf
--
2005/10/01
- William F. (Bill) Priday - Whitwell - Tennessee Tree Toppers Team Challenge - unhooked launch with crew assist - fatal
--
2006/01/19
- James Simpson - Top Gun Challenge, Tocumwal, New South Wales - Dragonfly aerotow - slack line situation, sidewire was snagged - parachute deployed too low
- http://ozreport.com/10.017
--
2006/02/05
- John Dullahan - monster thermal break-off behind seconds before launch - easily reachable release - broken wrist
--
2006/05/05
- Tad Hurst - Torrey - unhooked launch - held on - crashed on beach - broken pelvis
--
2006/05/06
- Nuno Fontes - got crooked on stationary winch tow - driver made good decision in the interest of his safety - stall and devastating injuries
--
2006/08/04
- Jim Freer - Mike Robertson product at same's operation just NE of Toronto - hit powerlines on approach - fatal
--
2006/09/18
- Kevin Rooke - Inwood Lookout, north of Gordons Knob, near Golden Downs, South Island, New Zealand - unhooked launch - minor injuries
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4247
--
2007/06/24
- Mike Onorato - Morningside - Exxtacy rigid - blown stunt landing - quaded - elected to have plug pulled
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=2758
--
2007/10/18
- Bille Floyd - Jean Lake, Nevada - unhooked launch - hydraulic stationary winch - over/under bridle - unhooked to wait out lull - both legs amputated below knees
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post1452.html#p1452
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=4046
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=17330
- http://www.thekiteboarder.com/2010/10/the-unstoppable-billy-floyd/
- The Unstoppable Billy Floyd | The Kiteboarder Magazine
- http://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7220/13949046702_536f0142b4_c.jpg
--
2007/11/05
- Horst Zimmer (Bautek) - Neumagen-Dhron ramp - unhooked launch - fatal
- http://ozreport.com/11.220
--
2008/01/12
- Sheryl J. Zayas - Florida Ridge - aerotow launch on mined runway - career ender
--
2008/02/17
- Janni Papakrivos - Daniels Mountain, Geer, Virginia - got behind treeline approaching LZ - landed in same
--
2008/03/23
- Lauren Tjaden - Quest - failures of primary Quallaby and bent pin backup releases during aerotow lockout exercise while qualifying for tandem aerotow instructor rating
--
2008/04/10
- John Simon - carrier, airline, comp pilot
- Highland Aerosports, Ridgely, Maryland
- Took delivery of new Combat L. Maiden flight, zilch conditions. Ultra safe long straight approach towards designated spot interrupted by taxiway sign. Two broken arms. Monumental distillation of cultural landing stupidity.
--
2008/04/29
- Jeff Craig - Kagel LZ approach - short - demolished head on riverbed boulder - fatal
--
2008/05/18
- Socrates Zayas - Florida Ridge - substantially injured in Standard Aerotow Weak Link inconvenience crash at edge of field
--
2008/06/02
- Carlos Weill - Ridgely - fell out of reach of easily reachable Quallaby release lever in lockout at altitude - rapid 500 foot altitude loss after front end weak link blew
--
2008/06/21
- Richard Seymour - Kagel LZ - missed - crashed into house across street - undoubtedly flying upright on the control tubes
--
2008/08/30
- Kunio Yoshimura - Mingus - unhooked launch - successfully climbed into control frame but failed to hang back and slow down to manageable speed - oscillated down Mountain face - threw parachute about a second too late - fatal
--
2008/09/27
- Axel Banchero - survived Florida Ridge runway obstruction
--
2008/12/30
- Lauren Tjaden - Quest - demolished shoulder with imperfecty timed flare in totally dead air
- http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3695
--
2009/01/03
- Stephen Elliot - 48 - Moyes sailmaker - Forbes Flatlands Hang Gliding Championship - New South Wales - aerotow launch lockout - undoubtedly pro toad with easily reachable release - fatal
- http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10551305
- Pilot joked as he lay dying - NZ Herald
--
2009/01/04
- Jonas Blanton - Lookout Mountain Flight Park - hit tree approaching LZ - fatal
--
2009/01/13
- Zack C - Valle de Bravo - landing - hands trapped on control tubes - two broken arms
- http://vallecrash.blogspot.com/
- Crash at Valle
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15383
- A pilots account of his crash
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=11093
- Blog of a Crash at Valle
--
2009/03/10
- Geraldo Bean / Andrew Scotland - Skytrek - Queenstown - tandem thrill ride - aerobatics - out of column downtube failed - parachute thrown - parachute leader failed at carabiner
--
2009/08/31
- Roy G. Messing - Whitewater - aerotow lockout in glass morning air - piece o' shit Lookout Mountain Flight Park two point release
--
2009/09/19
- Bill Vogel - outlanding - late surprise powerlines - likely flying upright - fatal
--
2009/11/15
- Anthony Ameo - Wallaby - spot landing approach - clipped tree - fatal
--
2009/11/16
- Adam Parer - Gulgong Classic, New South Wales - tumble - delayed parachute deployment - brutal opening shock
--
2009/11/27
- Chris Thale - Henson Gap - started too far back on ramp, blew launch - fatal
--
2010/01/17
- Martin Apopot - Hearne, Texas - stationary winch tow - foot launch - unhooked - moderate injuries
--
2010/01/18
- David Bodner - High Rock, Washington County, Maryland - poor approach - badly shattered humerus, extensive surgery required
- http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4236
--
2010/05/09
- Shannon Moon - Quest - stunt landing attempt - shattered arms, bilateral humerus fractures, radial nerve trauma
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post46.html#p46
- http://ozreport.com/pub/images/R0019247201059.jpg
--
2010/06/26
- John Seward - Packsaddle Mountain, Llano County, Texas - stalled back into launch vicinity downwind - fatal
--
2010/08/18
- Marvin Trudeau - British Columbia - crash into slope - fatal - precipitated HPAC expulsion of his instructor, Steve Parson
--
2010/10/02
- Gordon Boyce - 65 - Point of the Mountain, midair with paraglider, Virgil Davis - fatal (paraglider unharmed)
--
2010/10/13
- Lemuel (Lemmy) Lopez - Edinburg, Texas - student of Donnell Hewett - surface tow lockout - fatal
--
2010/11/06
- Melvin B. Asher - Barker Dam, Houston - training hill - unhooked launch - inconsequential
--
2011/01/15
- Shane Smith - Ak-Chin (Phoenix) Regional Airport - scooter tow, turnaround pulley, barrel release - tow ring had been removed from end of towline, bridle was run through weak link loop serving as tow ring, jam (big surprise), towline cut at winch, glider turned 90, towline snagged before clearing pulley - fatal
- http://sahga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2125
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22660
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=20529
--
2011/01/15
- Doug Prather - Dunlap, California - pond adjacent to primary - low level aerobatics ending in high speed impact resulting in permanent paraplegia - continued flying mountain sites with assisted wheel launches and wheel landings for about another half dozen years, announced that he'd hung it up 2017/11/26 09:01:53 UTC
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkFadjwZgmU
--
2011/04/09
- Yossi Tsarfaty - Sea of Galilee, Israel - unhooked launch in high winds, instinctively grabbed onto basetube, hung on for fifty seconds with glider in dive towards LZ - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=21474
--
2011/05/11
- Julia Kucherenko - Flytec Race and Rally, Souther Field, Americus, Georgia - Combat 12 - small glider on cart which didn't allow low keel bracket adjustment - piled in upon launch attempt, knocked unconscious, face damaged, choppered out, Task 4 cancelled
--
2011/05/20
- Eric Mies - Funston - blown low level aerobatic maneuver - quaded - ultimately fatal
--
2011/06/06
- Tim Martin - Henson - caught in gust front - fatal impact trying to get down into primary
--
2011/07/23
- Keavy Ruth Nenninger - Ridgely - Dragonfly, N402HA - unable to accelerate and climb, dumped tandem ride, still clung low, turned back to field, climbed to 200 feet spun in
--
2011/10/28
- Lois Preston - Derbyshire Flying Centre, Tideswell, England - aerotow lockout on oversized glider - fatal
--
2012/04/05
- David Charles Seib - Super Race Brasil, Serra da Tormenta, Carmo do Rio Claro, Minas Gerais, ground looped back into launch - serious multiple thoracic trauma - fatal
--
2012/04/28
- William Jonathan Orders / Lenami Godinez-Avila - Mount Woodside, Harrison Mills, British Columbia - tandem thrill ride - unhooked passenger, fatal - pilot swallowed video card upon landing - most widespread mainstream media impact in the history of the sport - manslaughter conviction
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post2018.html#p2018
- http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7756/17611618853_55f0686914_o.jpg
- http://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1549/25567385934_7f7e2cf5a9_o.jpg
--
2012/05/19
- Orion Price - stunt landing - broken humerus (found dead in his apartment 2016 of "medical complications" (read opioid drug overdose))
--
2012/05/26
- Charles Matthews - Lookout Mountain Flight Park - non tow Dragonfly flight - tip stalled into ridge
--
2012/05/27
- Mike Ivey - Kagel LZ - stunt landing - plowed into windsock pole - snapped right humerus
--
2012/06/06
- Paul M. Vernon
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- Nosed in in wheat field outlanding - devastating brain injury.
--
2012/06/11
- Michael Richard Wood - Freedom Flight Park, Lumby, British Columbia - cartwheeled on approach - fatal
--
2012/06/16
- Terry James Mason - Leaky, Texas - platform tow - under control of Sam Kellner - probable stall after whatever was going on back there was fixed with the dump lever - fatal
--
2012/06/24
- Brent Benoist - NE LZ, Mount Nebo, Arkansas - turned onto final too high, ran out of runway, attempted left 180, caught tip, ground looped - permanently mushed brain
--
2012/06/29
- Gregory Jones - Towers Launch, Grebloville - unhooked launch - crashed into bushes 50-60 feet below launch, walked away
--
2012/07/04
- Eric Thorstenson - Chelan - blown foot launch - choppered out - seriously spinal injuries, paralysis
--
2012/08/03
- Dan Veneman - Glacier Point, Yosemite, clipped tree with left wing exiting launch, spun back into slope - choppered out - seriously injured
--
2012/10/03
- Bob Buxton - platform launch, misrouted bridle, easily reachable release, observer studiously observing hydraulic pressure gauge - devastating brain injury
--
2012/10/05~
- Paul Edwards - Henson Gap / TTT Team Challenge - foot launch tow - squashed right eye socket, bruises around eye, several fractures in nose
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post3119.html#p3119
- http://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1686/26243219165_68d31e1e91_o.png
--
2012/11/04
- Frank Murphy - Darbyville, Ohio - attempted to tow on Dragonfly N667DF with cold engine - total power loss at 80 feet - dumped glider, crash landed - minor injuries - major tug damage
--
2013/02/02
- Zachary James Marzec - Hang 4 tandem aerotow instructor - Moyes Xtralite double surface glider - Quest - aerotow - Mark Frutiger driving 914 Dragonfly - pro toad with Standard Aerotow Weak Link - smooth, powerful, monster thermal encountered by tug - both pilots elected to continue tow - glider pitched up beyond pilot's control - weak link increased the safety of the towing operation - glider experienced severe inconvenience stall at 150 feet and tumbled twice prior to fatal impact - permanent collapse of the Standard Aerotow Weak Link Ponzi scheme - the most historically important crash in the history of hang glider towing
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post3587.html#p3587
- http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8394/8696380718_787dbc0005_o.png
- http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3728/9655895292_f4f808fb0e_o.png
- http://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4206/34382765173_5060b70475_o.png
- http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/9655904048_89cce6423a_o.png
- http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/9679308696_774135d261_o.png
--
2013/05/26
- Lea Kerr - Litespeed S4 - Long Mynd - nose in - massive fracture of the C6 area - major paralysis
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34886
--
2013/05/30
- Grant Bond - 45 - Combat 2 14 - Mount Bakewell, York, Western Australia, 13:50 - blown foot launch - may have clipped tree and been spun back into rocks - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=29164
--
2013/06/15
- Lin Lyons - Tres Pinos, Hollister, California - Mission Soaring Center - Hang 2 - stationary winch tow using state-of-the-art equipment, Harold Johnson driving - student connected state-of-the-art three-string release out of sequence and thus turned it into a state-of-the-art locking mechanism - towed to full altitude and transitioned to dive as bridle pulled bar back - SPECTACULAR high quality video from wing camera, the best by far hang gliding disaster film ever recorded and not shredded or swallowed by a commercial player - totally fatal save for a parachute deployment with several seconds to spare which rendered the situation virtually totally harmless - note that state-of-the-art surface towing systems don't include guillotines at winches - prequel to 2015/03/27 Jean Lake and 2016/04/03 Tres Pinos fatals
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7482.html#p7482
-
--
2013/06/23
- Kevin O'Brien - aerotow, Robert R. Wells Junior Airport (K66R), Columbus, Texas - drifted to the north out of range, tried to stay close rather than bailing downwind, snapped powerlines on final in restricted death-trap field just north of airport - fatal
--
2013/07/21
- Luis Rizo, pilot / Sara Reynaud, passenger - SE of Aigneville, Eure-et-Loir Department, France - 48°13.021', 1°29.794' - tandem aerotow - trike tug flown by Scott Sigal, North Wing T2 tandem glider, dolly, Joe Street two point release - probably slow, underpowered tow - glider drifted left, released at about 60 meters, tip stalled back into surface - bent port leading edge, downtubes trashed - pilot killed, passenger seriously injured
- http://ozreport.com/17.146
--
2013/08/02
- Greg Porter - Mingus - leg loops - landed - not injured
--
2013/08/21
- Robert Burgis - unhooked launch - Kagel - minor injuries, glider majorly trashed
- http://www.shga.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4127
- http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5566/14704620965_ce30a874b7_o.png
--
2013/12/16
- Anonymous new aerotow pilot - prior to above video posting date - Barry Hazelwood Flight Park, Lameroo, South Australia - 35°23'20.22" S, 140°20'31.52" E - Airborne Sting 3, two point bridle, easily reachable bridle apex release - trike tug flown by MrSkytime - video posted by Harrison Rowntree - high tug, glider rolls left beyond a hundred degrees before 1.5 G weak link blows, rolls to 180 before glider pitches out and recovers - spectacular video
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn4cTQH743E
- http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35257
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=30483
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post5464.html#p5464
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7478.html#p7478
--
2014/02/24
- Mark Knight - Ak-Chin/Phoenix Regional Airport - evening - Dragonfly, not towing, low, spun in - never any hint of an explanation or concern within the "community about the issue - Keavy Nenninger redux
--
2014/06/02
- Joe Schmucker
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- Failed attempt to penetrate in strong south back south to airport. Mushed down through severe gradient and stalled into soft newly planted cornfield. Violent impact, destroyed control frame, but escaped consequential injury.
--
2014/06/02
- John Claytor - Virginia - 67393 - H4 - 2007/01/08 - Steve Wendt - AT FL PL ST RLF TUR XC
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- strong cross from the South, launching to the West (90 cross) on improvised grass strip angled off from near the main runway's ENE end
- Wills Wing Talon 160 - pro toad - twin bent pin barrels with matching Standard Aerotow Weak Links - nose set high on cart
- Launched in strong cross cycle, crosswind gust lifted left wing, lost left hold-down, glider twisted 20 degrees and shifted to the right, pushed out to separate from cart while accelerating, right tip hit, glider crashed, Standard Aerotow Weak Link increased the safety of the towing operation (while unidentified Dragonfly driver did nothing to fix whatever was going on back there by giving John the rope), snapped left downtube. John impacted simultaneously with right side of helmet and right shoulder. Free flew in pain for thirty minutes on 2014/06/06 and forty minutes on 2014/06/07. On 2014/06/10 was diagnosed as probably having sustained a compressed or damaged disk. Never heard from again following 2014/06/13 16:42:43 UTC report.
--
2014/06/04
- John Dullahan
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- Litesport 4 - NW 6-8 mph
- Was not controlling glider well after non problematic tow to normal release altitude. Long oscillating final to the NW, at 40 feet undoubtedly tip stalled to the left resulting in port sidewire being snagged by aviation fuel sign above tanks. Glider pivoted and dove in at 45 degree angle. Impacted prone / headfirst. Choppered out with fractured T-2,4,5 vertebrae, scapula, rib.
--
2014/06/01
- Dan Lukaszewicz - Alexandria, Virginia - 88871 - H3 - 2012/08/23 - Steve Wendt - AT FL PL ST 360 CL FSL
- East Coast Championship, Ridgely, Maryland
- Blown foot landing near Sport Class goal - broken humerus.
--
2014/08/31
- Adam Parer - Newcastle Beach - aerobatics, failed to check for traffic, dodged same, tumbled, clipped powerlines, crashed into house - fatal
--
2014/09/29
- Joe Julik - Whitewater - approach in strong turbulence - turned downwind - fatal
--
2015/01/24
- Trevor Scott - Mount Cole, east of Ararat, Victoria - 13:30 - down in trees on slope - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32366
--
2015/03/27
- John Kelly Harrison / Arys Thoring Moorhead - Jean Lake, Nevada - tandem thrill ride - astronomically fucked up platform launched truck tow - double fatal - world record for youngest victim (11) - most devastating crash in the history of the sport, massive cover-up conspiracy
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7619.html#p7619
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post7910.html#p7910
- http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7631/16788883490_cd608b146c_o.png
- http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7597/16975005972_c450d2cdda_o.png
- http://c1.staticflickr.com/1/773/23175746459_d2d5580a36_o.png
--
2015/05/09
- Markus Schaedler - Kagel - slow in strong thermal turbulence - tumbled - fatal
--
2015/05/17
- Scott Trueblood - Mountain Wings product - Ellenville - crashed into slope in ridge soaring conditions - fatal
- http://www.dailyfreeman.com/article/DF/20150518/NEWS/150519627
--
2015/06/20
- Bertrand Delacroix - Ridgely - probable deliberately induced spin from which he failed to recover - fatal
--
2015/06/26
- Trey Higgins - Slide Mountain - scratching shortly after and close to but out of site of launch - fatal
--
2015/07/23
- Javier Yunquera - free flying at Ager Spanish Hang Gliding Championships - Woody Valley Tenax harness suspension failed - deployed LARA parachute, leader failed
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=33196
--
2015/08/23
- Rafael (Rafi) Lavin - Funston - sidewires load tested immediately upon launch, one failed at inboard nico - topless glider remained intact but uncontrollable, turned back into cliff - fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post8268.html#p8268
- http://forum.hanggliding.org/download/file.php?id=26105
- http://forum.hanggliding.org/download/file.php?id=26115
- http://forum.hanggliding.org/download/file.php?id=26118
--
2015/08/24
- Craig Pirazzi - Canyonlands National Park - moving glider to launch at cliff face, hooked in and unassisted in strong air - sucked over edge by rotor - fatal
--
2015/09/24
- Thibault Demange - T2C - Saint-Hilaire-du-Touvet, France - blown aerobatics in turbulence - parachute fouled - fatal
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=33438
- http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/accident-coupe-icare-pilote-delta-decede-811477.html
--
2015/10/02
- Michael Bayliss - unwitnessed - probable low altitude stall
--
2015/10/09
- Darren Rickertt - 40 - Canungra Classic XC comp - unwitnessed - down in trees near end of Biddaddaba Creek Road, Nindooinbah - 28°02'02.47" S, 153°05'58.10" E - fatal
- http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/tributes-flow-for-gold-coast-hang-glider-darren-rickertt/news-story/d1837bb7c5ca1bd994b03773d322ff32
--
2015/10/11
- Jesse Fulkersin - 62 - Hyner, Pennsylvania - primary - final - inadequate speed and control - fatal
--
2015/11/01
- Uli Blumenthal - 68 - Bavarian Alps - foot launch - caught wingtip on tree - fatal
--
2015/11/08
- Karen Carra - High Rock, Appalachian Trail, Maryland - light air cliff launch - stalled - fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post8662.html#p8662
--
2016/01/28
- Ken Muscio, 75, Advanced / Stan Albright - McClure - 14:00 - working light thermal lift with about 200 feet clearance - midair - fatal for former, latter landed
--
2016/02/02
- Tomas Banevicius - Dunnellon, Florida - surface tow - fatal
--
2016/03/17
- Jack Barth - 70 - 1979 - H4 - Crestline / Andy Jackson Airpark - 2.5 hour flight - with wheels - moderate steady wind in LZ - flared aggressively (textbook) - climbed 10 to 15 feet - held flare (textbook) - pancaked - unable to clear right arm - severely blew out elbow - first retirement from the sport, end of a great ride
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=34176
--
2016/04/03
- Nancy P. Tachibana - Tres Pinos, Hollister, California - Mission Soaring Center - Hang 1 - stationary winch tow using state of the art equipment, Pat Denevan driving - practicing linked 90 degree turns - turned away from turnaround pulley at approximately 350 feet still on tow - bar was pulled back, glider dove in - fatal - still no fucking guillotine
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post9240.html#p9240
- http://theschoolmarm.com/wp-content/uploads/12985530_10153582644161705_2102737968588164930_n.jpg
--
2016/05/21
- Jeffrey Lawrence Bohl - Quest - aerotow lockout - pro toad, easily reachable bent pin release - crosswind / short runway - underpowered Dragonfly tug, unidentified driver - 400 pound towline weak link broke the instant before the tug released - fatal inconvenience stall
--
2016/06/29
- Larry Heidler - Crestline - unassisted launch - 180ed back in and impacted and stuck in pine - fatal
--
2016/08/13
- Gianpietro Zin
--
2016/09/16
- Ron Keinan - Santa Cruz Flats Race, west of Stanfield, Arizona - killed too much altitude with approach pattern - clipped tree on final - TBI
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10333.html#p10333
--
2016/11/13
- Joseph Stearn - Brace Mountain - New York (and within fractions of a mile of Massachusetts and Connecticut) - primary - half fatal compromise of approach to execute spot landing - broken vertebrae - no wheels -
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=34930
- http://www.gofundme.com/joe-stearns-recovery-fund
- http://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/16169654_1479679419.5231_funddescription.jpg
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZuo-ansYGg
--
2017/04/01
- Jack Barth - 71 - 1979 - H4 - Lake Elsinore - last set up glider on launch - launch conditions cycling up and down - started launch in up cycle, wing started to lift then mushed - right tip snagged bush at end of launch - boomeranged back into boulder strewn slope 200 feet below launch with tip stall - crashed into boulder - chest mounted parachute (Tracer harness) limited chest damage to cracked sternum and broken ribs - broken left femur - glider destroyed to facilitate rescue chopper - choppered out to ambulance - $2.5K ambulance ride to hospital - week in hospital, $160K - clotting issues - eight month recovery - "I had flown 38 yrs at the E and most of my fellow Eteamers had blown launch at least once. I guess I couldn't be the exception." - second retirement from the sport
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35245
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35347
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35385
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35430
- http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=35845
--
2017/09/04
- Mark Henline - Mount Zion (Lookout), Golden Colorado - Sport 2C 155 - "Once Mark turned south and past the south point he put himself in the lee side of the hill and south point". fatal
- http://www.kitestrings.org/post10775.html#p10775
- http://rmhpa.org/messageboard/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6473
--
2017/12/30
- Emma Adele Martin - Forbes Flatlands Day 2 - paddock near Parkes short of Peak Hill Airport goal - failed stunt landing attempt in strong thermal turbulence, downwind crash
--
2018/01/01
- Niki Longshore - Forbes Flatlands Day 2 - Moyes RX 3.5 Pro - racing at over 8000 feet, tumbled in turbulence, glider demolished, parachute leader tangled with neck but canopy failed to inflate (otherwise Brad Koji redux) - got canopy inflated after clearing leader - spun to safe landing save for minor ankle injury
--
