Zach Marzec
A tumble at very low altitude
Paul Tjaden - 2013/02/07 23:47:58 UTC
Quest Air, Groveland, Florida
A few days ago I promised that I would write a more complete accident report regarding the tragic hang gliding accident we recently had at Quest Air resulting in the death of our good friend, Zach Marzec. I do want to warn you in advance that there will be no great revelations from what you already know. Many times Zach flew with a video camera which could have possibly told us more but on this occasion he did not.
The weather conditions seemed quite benign. It was a typical winter day in central Florida with sunny skies, moderate temperatures and a light south west wind. It was, however, a high pressure, dry air day that sometimes creates punchy conditions with small, tight, strong thermals versus the big fat soft ones that Florida is famous for. Time of day was approximately 3:00. None of these conditions were even slightly alarming or would have caused any concern about launching.
Zach Marzec was an advanced rated pilot who was a tandem instructor for Kitty Hawk Kites where he logged a huge number of aerotow flights. He was current (flying every day) and was flying his personal glider that he was very familiar with and had towed many times. Sorry, I do not have specific numbers of hours or flights logged but experience does not appear to have been an issue.
The glider was a Moyes Xtralite. This glider was a fairly old design. I believe the last ones built were in the mid 1990's, but it was in good, airworthy condition and rigged properly. I know of no reports that this glider is difficult to tow or has any deficiencies for aero towing but I am not an expert on it and have never flown one. The glider hit base tube first and sustained very little damage upon impact so it was easy to ascertain that the glider did not appear to have had any structural failure that would have caused the accident.
The tow aircraft was a Moyes Dragonfly with a 914 Rotax engine and was piloted by a highly experienced tow pilot. The tow line was approximately 250 feet long which is standard and Zach was using the “pro tow” method where the tow line is attached directly to a bridle on the pilot's harness and is not attached to the glider at all. A standard 130 pound test weak link was being used.
Another pilot had launched with no issues immediately before the accident. The launch started on the main runway at the north end (2,000 feet long) and was normal until at approximately 50 feet in altitude when the tow plane hit extremely strong lift elevating it quickly and abruptly. Because of the length of the tow line, it was a few seconds later when Zach's glider entered the same strong lift and he was at an estimated 100 to 150 feet in altitude at this time. When the lift/turbulence was encountered, the weak link on the tow line broke as the nose of the glider pitched up quickly to a very high angle of attack. Apparently, the glider stalled or possibly did a short tail slide and then stalled and then nosed down and tumbled. Eye witnesses said the glider tumbled twice and then struck the ground with the base tube low. Due to the extremely low altitude, there was no time for the pilot to deploy his reserve parachute.
Zach was conscious immediately after the accident but died in route to the hospital.
Beyond these facts anything else would be pure speculation. I have personally had numerous weak link breaks on tow, both low and high, after hitting turbulence and have never felt in danger of a tumble. I have witnessed countless others have weak link breaks with no serious problems. We train aero tow pilots how to handle this situation and I am certain that Zach had also encountered this situation many times before and knew how to react properly. Apparently, Zach simply hit strong low level turbulence, probably a dust devil that could not be seen due to the lack of dust in Florida, the nose went too high and he tumbled at a very low altitude.
Strong dust devils in Florida definitely do exist even though they are rare. My wife had a near miss when she encountered a severe dusty a couple years ago and I almost lost a brand new $18,000 ATOS VX when it was torn from its tie down and thrown upside down.
I wish I could shed more light on this accident but I am afraid this is all we know and probably will know. Zach was a great guy with an incredible outlook and zest for life. He will be sorely missed.
The tragic hang gliding WHAT?A few days ago I promised that I would write a more complete accident report regarding the tragic hang gliding accident...
Not so good a friend that you knew that he spelled his first name with a "k" - but do continue....we recently had at Quest Air resulting in the death of our good friend, Zach Marzec.
That's OK, Paul. The moment we heard "The weak link broke at around 150 feet or so..."I do want to warn you in advance that there will be no great revelations from what you already know.
...we already had everything important we really needed to know.Manned Kiting
The Basic Handbook of Tow Launched Hang Gliding
Daniel F. Poynter
1974
"The greatest dangers are a rope break or a premature release." - Richard Johnson
Too bad he didn't fly more times with equipment that was actually up to the job - but I guess videos were more of a priority.Many times Zach flew with a video camera which could have possibly told us more but on this occasion he did not.
Ya know sumpin', Paul... ANY time you're aerotowing hang gliders in ANY thermal conditions the situation is moderately alarming and should cause as much concern about launching as you can muster. But you keep throwing gliders up on crap, best case scenario equipment with about a dozen extra ways to kill people already built into the system because you keep getting away with it.The weather conditions seemed quite benign. It was a typical winter day in central Florida with sunny skies, moderate temperatures and a light south west wind. It was, however, a high pressure, dry air day that sometimes creates punchy conditions with small, tight, strong thermals versus the big fat soft ones that Florida is famous for. Time of day was approximately 3:00. None of these conditions were even slightly alarming or would have caused any concern about launching.
He had an Advanced rating. That didn't make him a pilot.Zach Marzec was an advanced rated pilot...
Great. Was he teaching everybody how to tie loops of 130 pound Greenspot and, when installing them on bridles, position the knot such that it's hidden from the main tension in the link and excluded altogether from the equation?...who was a tandem instructor for Kitty Hawk Kites...
So......where he logged a huge number of aerotow flights.
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?
He had a long track record.Jim Rooney - 2011/08/25 21:40:25 UTC
First, I sent Steve a bunch of info offline. Hopefully it clears things up a bit for him.
Unfortunately, he's stumbled onto some of Tad's old rantings and got suckered in. So most of this was just the same old story of debunking Tad's lunacy... again .
See, the thing is... "we", the people that work at and run aerotow parks, have a long track record.
And, of course, neither does the glider size or flying weight - so don't bother giving us those figures.He was current (flying every day) and was flying his personal glider that he was very familiar with and had towed many times. Sorry, I do not have specific numbers of hours or flights logged but experience does not appear to have been an issue.
Well, it appears that your Quest Link did its job well and...The glider was a Moyes Xtralite. This glider was a fairly old design. I believe the last ones built were in the mid 1990's, but it was in good, airworthy condition and rigged properly. I know of no reports that this glider is difficult to tow or has any deficiencies for aero towing but I am not an expert on it and have never flown one. The glider hit base tube first and sustained very little damage upon impact so it was easy to ascertain that the glider did not appear to have had any structural failure that would have caused the accident.
...broke under load before the glider did. Perfect track record, a proven system that works.Davis Straub - 2011/07/31 17:55:25 UTC
To break under load before the glider does.
And the reason you're not naming him is...?The tow aircraft was a Moyes Dragonfly with a 914 Rotax engine and was piloted by a highly experienced tow pilot.
Yeah, Paul, the good ol' "pro tow" method. You "pros" never cease to impress me.The tow line was approximately 250 feet long which is standard and Zach was using the "pro tow" method...
I really don't understand this "pro tow" action, Paul. Pretty obviously implies that it requires more skill to pilot the glider this way, otherwise everybody would be able to do it....where the tow line is attached directly to a bridle on the pilot's harness and is not attached to the glider at all.
- Exactly what is this skill and how does one go about attaining it?
- Once one attains it I'm assuming he'll be just as safe flying that way in any situation as he would be flying two - sorry - THREE point?
Fuckin' asshole.A standard 130 pound test weak link was being used.
Mark Frutiger. What's the point in not identifying him? *©Another pilot...
He HAD issues - as does everyone who launches behind a Dragonfly and/or with any Industry Standard equipment, especially if he's a "pro". But he got away with them because things didn't line up badly enough for them to come into play....had launched with no issues immediately before the accident.
But not so quickly and abruptly that either of the people in the air thought it advisable to abort the tow.The launch started on the main runway at the north end (2,000 feet long) and was normal until at approximately 50 feet in altitude when the tow plane hit extremely strong lift elevating it quickly and abruptly.
What the fuck does that mean? You guys don't use weak links on towline ends. There's a weak link above the Dragonfly's tow ring and a weak link at the end of the one point bridle which engages the single bent pin barrel release on Zack's right shoulder.Because of the length of the tow line, it was a few seconds later when Zach's glider entered the same strong lift and he was at an estimated 100 to 150 feet in altitude at this time. When the lift/turbulence was encountered, the weak link on the tow line...
How very odd. I'd a thunk that a pro like Zack coulda held the nose down better than that....broke as the nose of the glider pitched up quickly to a very high angle of attack.
Instead of continuing to climb until Zack got things stabilized, flew through the thermal, and continued the tow - as he would've had no problem doing if you fucking morons weren't so keen on using a chintzy piece of fishing line as the focal point of your safe towing system.Apparently, the glider stalled or possibly did a short tail slide and then stalled and then nosed down and tumbled.
Lost interest the instant the Quest lockout protector blew.Eye witnesses said the glider tumbled twice and then struck the ground with the base tube low.
No shit...Due to the extremely low altitude, there was no time for the pilot to deploy his reserve parachute.
Zach was conscious immediately after the accident but died in route to the hospital.
Beyond these facts anything else would be pure speculation. I have personally had numerous weak link breaks on tow, both low and high, after hitting turbulence...
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=26870
weak links
...Paul.michael170 - 2012/08/17 17:01:40 UTC
Zack, let me see if I understand your logic.
You had a thing and it broke needlessly.
You didn't want the thing to break needlessly.
You replaced the thing with a stronger thing.
Now the thing doesn't break needlessly.
So then, OBVIOUSLY, it would've been a total waste of time to look at any of the scores of incidents of people getting creamed when their Quest Links dumped them and start using safe legal stuff....and have never felt in danger of a tumble.
Wanna tell us about a few of the minor problems, you stupid sonuvabitch? Any serious stalls and potentially lethal losses of altitude way up high?I have witnessed countless others have weak link breaks with no serious problems.
- I'll bet you do - and I'll bet your victims get plenty of practice.We train aero tow pilots how to handle this situation...
- Do you also train them how to...
http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3391
More on Zapata and weak link
...release in response to a lockout when they're using the Quest equipment you've been perfecting for twenty years that gives them no chance to release?Paul Tjaden - 2008/07/22 04:32:22 UTC
I have never had a lockout situation happen so quickly and dramatically and had no chance to release as I have always thought I could do.
Yeah. Go figure....and I am certain that Zach had also encountered this situation many times before and knew how to react properly.
BULLSHIT. If it was a dust devil your "highly experienced tow pilot" would've known and reported it.Apparently, Zach simply hit strong low level turbulence, probably a dust devil...
...and streamers along the runway......that could not be seen due to the lack of dust...
How high would it have gone if he had used some sort of bridle which split the tow force between two points - the pilot and a trim point on the keel?...in Florida, the nose went too high...
So rare that there's really no need to use ribbons to check for them before committing to launch....and he tumbled at a very low altitude.
Strong dust devils in Florida definitely do exist even though they are rare.
You're wife IS a perpetual near miss - except for every now and then when she doesn't.My wife had a near miss...
But still there's really no need for ribbons and "pro towing" is a perfectly safe means of getting airborne....when she encountered a severe dusty a couple years ago...
Maybe it would be a good idea to use tie-downs actually up to the job when you've spent much more than fifteen grand on a glider....and I almost lost a brand new $18,000 ATOS VX when it was torn from its tie down and thrown upside down.
Got that part goddam right. Too bad you're too fuckin' clueless to look at the glaringly obvious issues here.I wish I could shed more light on this accident but I am afraid this is all we know and probably will know.
But let's continue operating exactly the same way as before and see how long we can keep getting away with it for another cycle.Zach was a great guy with an incredible outlook and zest for life. He will be sorely missed.
Asshole.
P.S. Paul, if you weren't such as stupid arrogant dick...
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=12587
weak links (here we go)
...and had adopted my Bridle Links...Patrick Halfhill - 2009/06/21 23:22:23 UTC
Another pilot that was convinced at the ECC that he needed a stronger weaklink, took his to Texas and I believe through it away after a near death experience.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aerotowrelease/8305393601/
...I ONE HUNDRED PERCENT GUARANTEE YOU that that tow would've been a nonevent.
---
* - 2017/05/13 15:30:00 UTC
Oops. Didn't do that very well. It was the identity of the previous glider jockey he was concealing - not the Pilot In Command of Zack's glider. But fuck Paul anyway. If he hadn't been deliberately obfuscating high value information I wouldn't have made the mistake.
