Cougar you're to low ... YOU'RE TO LOW COUGAR!!!

[Batman]

Ok, unfortunately Maverick wasn't on my wing guiding me to a safe landing on a pitching carrier deck ... but I WAS wearing one of my Navy Flightsuits so I'm authorized to use "Top Gun" quotes with authority. I didn't orphan my wife & kids, but I am in need of two downtubes and my body is covered in multiple bruises. I'm feeling like Indiana Jones in Raiders where the only thing that doesn't hurt is the end of his nose. Todays accident has been brought to you by the Letter I ... for Impatience.

Today started out like any normal Saturday, rolling out of bed, getting back in bed, then talking myself out to the kitchen to make coffee before checking weather & winds. Loading up, I got out a bit later than expected but was making great time right up until the 9 mile backup from Exit 42 to Route 404. Adding another hour into my transit time was not in my original plans. Arrived to the Desert Plateau, that was Ridgely today, I expected Pyramids and the Sphinx to rise up out of the ground. It was hot, DAMN hot, so I was unabashedly unexcited about waiting for 1 1/2 hours in line since they were only running 1 tug, and a slow one at that. Finally it was my time to roll the dice against the fleeting thermals and off I went. I fought the good fight for about 25 minutes but the lift was light and the thermals were small. I gave it my best, but could only maintain 2,000 for about 15 minutes. As I decended towards the field, I noticed that there were only 3 people in line. Did I mention it was hot? My obviously overcooked brain decided that it would be much more cooling efficient to land on the taxiway and quickly slip my glider into line while I went and jumped into the pool during my next hour wait.

As the winds were out of the South, I flew my downline and turned base offsetting the grass strip that we take off from. Throwing a quick S-Turn in to bleed off a little more altitude, I turned final. Unfortunately in my 5 years of flying Ridgely, I failed to notice that there is about a 10 foot elevation change (Read: Hill) between the grass strip and the taxiway. Since I wasn't able to swing wide over the active runway, my final was effectively about 50 feet and I had not figured in that loss of 10 feet. Realizing the impending doom as my wings leveld, I cowered in fear, gently eased the bar out and assumed the fetal position. My basetube impacted the hill about 3 feet below the top and I power whacked in with a good amount of pattern speed. Both downtubes collapsed on impact and my body took the rest of it. I think my helmet either hit a downtube, the keel or the ground because I was a little dizzy when I stood up. Once all motion came to a stop, nothing seriously painful was experienced except for a dull ache in most of my muscles. Jim helped me pack the glider and provided Extra Strength Tylenol. (Thanks Jim)

In a nutshell, my impatience for extending my time in the heat and in line got the better of me. My decision to land where I did, although quite possible, did not leave me with any margin of error. If I would of hit a sink monster (insurance covers that), the same result would of probably happened. It would of been much safer to fly a normal pattern and suck up the short walk back to the line. Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash. Thinking I can put my glider anywhere I want is a good goal, but there is always a need for leaving fudge factors in there as well. All in all, the cost was 2 downtubes and probably a few days of pain and bruises. I learned a good lesson, and hopefully all who read this will learn from my mistake instead of making it yourself.

That was some of the best flying I've seen to date - right up to the part where you got killed.
Gutsiest move I ever saw, Mav.

[Paul Tjaden]

Batboy!!! I'm so glad you're okay!
Lauren

[Gene]

Robin: "We better hurry, Batman."
Batman: "Not too fast, Robin. In good bat-climbing as in good driving one must never sacrifice safety for speed."
Robin: "Right again, Batman."

I couldn't resist, heal quick. I learn from the posts and being humble keeps us safe.

Gene

[theflyingdude]

Sorry to read about your faux pas, Chris. I'm glad to hear the consequence wasn't as bad as it might have been.

Some of my worst approaches/landings have been the result of choosing convenience over safety. The one that comes to mind most immediately involved a landing/crash after a short OTB flight from Zirks. I was flying a WW Sport 167 and set up to land over a huge pasture, but I decided I didn't want to carry the glider very far after I landed. I had a long straight final approach to the west with the intent of landing close to the road/gate directly ahead of me. As I got closer to my goal, I got popped up by thermal that was breaking off the field and all of a sudden, I didn't have enough space in front of me to land before I reached the road. Did I mention there was a fence and power lines at the end of the LZ? I tried doing a "S-turn" to lose some altitude, but I ended up in slipping turn and pogo'd the left leading edge into the ground. It snapped off and I ended up pounding in pretty hard as the glider did a ground-loop to the left. Besides the LE, I also broke a some battens, a DT, and ripped the sail, but I was pretty much unscathed. The worst part about the crash was that it happened on a Sunday afternoon just before we were supposed to be leaving for a road trip to the Owens Valley the following Thursday. DOH!!!

JR

[brianvh]

Is there really a 10 foot hill?! big enough to crash into?! I'll have to take a look next time. I think striving to be humble is about the best advice I've ever heard for hang gliding. I may stencil "Fly Humble" onto my basetube.

[RedBaron]

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? No, but it was over when you bombed Ridgely
Shit happens. I still remember how my right shoulder flew through my right downtube on one very bad landing at the Pulpit. That sucker didn't stand a snowflake's chance in hell against my substantial mass of bones and fat. It didn't just break, it got owned! If you break them, break them hard. Sounds like you did a good job.
Glad you're okay, Chris.

[Batman]

Its not a 10 foot hill so to speak, just sloping terrain up from the grass strip to the taxiway and on into the LZ. Its really not that big of a deal unless you're stupid like I was and didn't leave any margin of error. I felt pretty banged up yesterday, but no long term issues. Just some lower back pain and some bruising on my arms and hands from slamming in. Nothing that Advil & Icy Hot won't take care of in a few days. Quick downtube replacement an d I'll be back up in the air in no time.

[Matthew]

Chris-- Glad you are OK.

I thought we weren't allowed to land on the taxiway or on the grass strip where you queue up to launch. When Highland first opened I landed in the queue line several times without any problem. But two years ago I was told that we aren't allowed to land there. And I'm still unclear as to other rules at Highland-- I've heard several different things about forbidden heights over the runway for landing approaches. I always thought it was that you can't cross the runway below 500'. But I've heard other numbers thrown around. Would someone at Highland please clarify the rules there? How about a simple sign at the table on the launch line spelling out the various rules?????

Matthew

[brianvh]

I'd call that a ditch, not a hill. Goes down then up. Chris's whack dip.
He'll be serving it with batten chips at the next party.