New Member of the Tree Club - Long

[hang_pilot]

I am an H3 with ~75 hours of flight time, 36 years old, 6’2” tall, weigh 170. I fly a Wills Wing U2 160 with a Wills Wing Z5 harness. I had flown 3 out of the 4 days prior to the accident, but had not flown the immediate previous day and was operating on a full night of sleep.

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Accident Synopsis:

This accident occurred during my first flight at an out-of-area, N facing site during strong, NW, post-frontal conditions (15 - 20 mph gusts).

Shortly after a satisfactory launch with wings level, I encountered an un-commanded 90 degree left turn while still in the slot. My recollection is that I arrested the turn with a quick and aggressive weight shift. For a brief moment I was flying parallel and close in to the ridge; I might have re-centered in the control frame at this time, I am not sure. I was then turned an additional ~45 degrees toward the ridge, experienced a rapid acceleration in ground speed and quickly impacted a stand of immature trees and dense brush.

I was not injured. Damage to the glider included a broken keel and a broken (pilot’s) right downtube.

Additional Notes:

I had a single assistant (a rated pilot) on the nose wires but had cleared him and balanced the glider for a few seconds without assistance prior to launching.

I believe that I was flying faster than trim, but the wind velocity was changing quickly and I do not dismiss the possibility that I might have mushed the glider.

VG was set to 1/3rd.

Probable Causes:

Flying too close to the terrain in turbulent conditions and possibly at too slow of airspeed on a glider with light wing-loading. Predominant wind direction from the northwest likely caused a rotor off of a finger to the west of launch. I should have countered the un-commanded turn sufficiently to return to my original flight path which was straight away from the mountain. That said, I should not have been flying on this day. The risks from the gust and cross factors I observed prior to launching customarily would have been too high for me to fly. My risk tolerance this day was elevated by two circumstances: 1) I wanted badly to soar. My accident occurred on the 4th flying day of a weeklong flying trip in which I had only enjoyed one brief soaring flight. The sky looked great. I felt current and confident I was going to get high. 2) I recognize that I am more conservative regarding the conditions in which I am willing to fly when pilots I know are present. It was just my one friend and me on launch and neither of us is a good check on the other’s ego.

~Daniel

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Post-Script: I am on the light end of the weight range for the U2 160. Prior to this accident, I had been looking at the used market for either a U2 145 or a Litesport 4 for heavier wing loading. On Sunday, I bought Fred Booher’s Litesport 4 which has 11 sq ft less sail area than my U2. If I like the Litesport, I’ll probably sell the U2. If not, I’ll sell the Litesport. Either way, I’m going to have a nice intermediate glider for sale shortly. Let me know if you’re interested.

[Lauren Tjaden]

I'm so glad you're okay, Daniel. Your gutsy, honest assessment makes me admire you even more than I already did.
Lauren

[Spark]

Thanks for posting Dan. I'm sure relieved that you weren't hurt. $hit happens - even when we think we are doing all we can to mitigate the risk .. I'm glad you are gonna get back on the 'horse' that threw ya. What doesn't kill you will make you stronger (and wiser).

Peace,

'Spark

[theflyingdude]

Nice report, Daniel!!

Welcome to the club.

JR

[huddlec]

Daniel,
You said you were still in the slot when you got turned. Any chance you had just reached tree height when you got turned? I ask, because I launched at Woodstock on a left cross day and was a little slow leaving the slot. When I reached tree top height, the glider did a fast turn to the left, caused by the 'new' wind direction and my slow speed.
Christy

[brianvh]

Sounds like this could have happened anywhere with a slot launch (ie east coast) but just out of curiousity, where was it? Were others already flying? I've also fallen prey to the urge to fly a new site when it wasn't such a good idea. When you're home you know you can always come back another day so it's easier to walk away.

[jimrooney]

Glad you're ok bro.
Thanks for the report.
Always remember, glider parts are cheap... human parts are expensive.
Glad you've got something to fly straight away.

Jim

[Flying Lobster]

Dan--was this during your trip down here? I thought you guys were a little "over-motivated"--a common thing for pilots on limited vacation.

marc

[hang_pilot]

Thanks Lauren, 'Spark, JR, Christy, Brian, Jim and Marc for the responses and kind words backed up by ~80 years of cumulative flying experience. Here are the answers to your questions.

Christy asked: Any chance you had just reached tree height when you got turned?
>>>Yes and I think you're on the right track with that question.

Brian asked: just out of curiousity, where was it?
>>>Burkemont Mtn near Morganton NC http://www.southernparapilots.org/burke ... kemont.htm

Marc asked: was this during your trip down here?
>>>Yes

Hope to fly with all of you soon,
Daniel

[markc]

Flying trips can be hazardous.

There you, taking time off, spending lots of money, and for damn sure you want
some airtime in return!

And if you don't have your own glider with you there's also the fact that you'll
be on an unfamiliar wing. It might even be something that isn't really suited to you.

So there are all these pressures to try to make the most of your trip. I think
many of us tend to push things further than is wise in such situations. I know
I have...

So don't beat yourself up too much Daniel! I'm very glad that you got through
this unscathed.

Personally, I've dialed my trips to SoCal down quite a bit because of my
tendency to push things too much. No HG at all for the past couple.
Now that I'm used to that, I think I may be better able to say "oh well, maybe
next time" on an iffy type of day. At least I hope so!

MarkC