I think some of you might have known Zach. Condolences to family and friends.
A hang glider from Illinois died Saturday after crashing on the runway of a rural south Lake County airfield.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as 27-year-old Zachary Marzec.
According to Marzec's Facebook profile, he is a hang-gliding instructor and he has several dozen photos of himself hang gliding with friends. Deputies say something went wrong as Marzec was in flight and caused the hang glider to go down at Quest Air Hang Gliding's airfield. No one at the business could be reached after the crash. The crash happened at about 3:20 p.m. He was taken to South Lake Hospital, where he died. Jim Vachon, a spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff's Office, said an investigation is ongoing into the accident and what exactly happened is unknown.
CF
Fatal accident at Quest
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Re: Fatal accident at Quest
From the Big Walker list, it was reported that he was flying a Moyes Xtralite, got hit by strong lift that pitched the nose up radically and broke the weak link. The glider tumbled and fell to the ground. He was the pilot in the "A Whole New World" video released just over a month ago. Tragic. Condolences to family and friends. Bacil
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Lauren Tjaden
- Posts: 371
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 6:27 pm
Re: Fatal accident at Quest
I am posting the report my husband, Paul Tjaden, just wrote about Zach Marzec's death at Quest. It is a great tragedy to lose someone so young and vital. We are sick about it, and our hearts go out to his friends, family and loved ones.
Lauren Tjaden
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.
Paul Tjaden
Read more: http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.ph ... z2KH5IIH20
Lauren Tjaden
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.
Paul Tjaden
Read more: http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.ph ... z2KH5IIH20
Re: Fatal accident at Quest
I'm so sorry to hear this news, especially on the heels of that too-fun-and-funny video featuring Zach (I shared it with many!). What a loss.
And I'm so sorry that you and Paul have the sad task of conveying what happened. My condolences to Zach's family & friends, and to the two of you.
I hope that something positive/proactive, something which could help reduce the risk of freakish accidents, might ultimately emerge. It might make such a tragic loss a tiny bit easier to bear...
MarkC
And I'm so sorry that you and Paul have the sad task of conveying what happened. My condolences to Zach's family & friends, and to the two of you.
I hope that something positive/proactive, something which could help reduce the risk of freakish accidents, might ultimately emerge. It might make such a tragic loss a tiny bit easier to bear...
MarkC
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rasmussenv
- Posts: 167
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:37 pm
- Location: Valerie in Northern Virginia
Re: Fatal accident at Quest
Many of you know Paul Vernon, and his wife Sam. Paul had a bad landing during a competition out of Highland last June and suffered, and is continuing to work hard to recover from, a TBI. Sam has been posting regular updates on his progress on a 'CarePages.com' site for PMVernon.
Anyway,last week she posted a note that contained some reaction to this tragic death that I thought others would be interested to read, and she provided me permission to cut and paste it to this site. She and Paul both have fond memories of Zack:
He was a delightful young man who helped Paul get his foot launch rating in Kitty Hawk. A couple of years ago, Paul and I put ourselves through hang gliding camp in North Carolina. We signed up for a full week of lessons and went on the dunes almost every single day, using their 'dune kites'. Zack was the lead instructor of a team who helped us. He wore flip flops, cargo shorts, a tee shirt and a smile a mile wide.
They teach in groups but when Zack learned our objective, he worked around the others there to play and helped Paul and I focus on what we were trying to accomplish. It would take me three weeks to learn foot launch so I was along for the ride and trying to get air time. To Zack's credit, by the time we left, after 7 days on the dunes, Paul flew a Wills Wing (which is a full glider) from the highest dune back to the pack up area.
There happened to be a busload of schoolchildren at the bottom of the dunes who had been happily rolling to the bottom of the dunes and eluding teachers trying to get them to line up. The looks on their faces when they saw Paul soaring is still one of my favorite hang gliding memories. As Paul soared over them, I could see from vantage point the awe ripple from the right to the left. By the time he was in full soar, he had the rapt attention of several classes of schoolkids and their harried teachers. When he landed, which was a perfect. spot on landing,(thanks to Zack's and the other instructors teaching) a cheer rose up from the crowd and the kids all wildly applauded and screamed, "Did you SEE that??" One little kid followed us all the way back in, peppering Zack with questions and Zack answered every one and encouraged the little boy to come back in a few years so he could learn." The kid left with, "Wow, man, I can LEARN that?"
Zack had terrific patience, a very Zen and peaceful approach to everything and was determined that Paul and I get our monies worth. When winds made it too hard to fly, he used that time to teach us how to ground handle the glider in a breeze.
Last year, when Susan went to North Carolina to try her hand at instructing, she came back on a visit with tales about this really cool instructor and his girlfriend and how they were so easy to talk to and such awesome people. Zack is such an unusual name, I asked, "Did he have a great smile, amazing attitude and really curly hair?" Susan had befriended the young man who taught her Dad to foot launch. The hang gliding community is so small. And every light that is dimmed is a loss. Thanks for letting me share about Zack.
On the way home last night, Paul and I talked a little about him. "I haven't really taken the time to think about Zack, how are you doing about his death, hon?" "I haven't thought about it either. Susan will be here this Saturday, I hope we can talk to her about him, Sam." I told him we would and although we are truly far removed from him and his immediate circle I believe that somehow, some way, our talking about what a great guy he was will go out into the universe in a good way.
Anyway,last week she posted a note that contained some reaction to this tragic death that I thought others would be interested to read, and she provided me permission to cut and paste it to this site. She and Paul both have fond memories of Zack:
He was a delightful young man who helped Paul get his foot launch rating in Kitty Hawk. A couple of years ago, Paul and I put ourselves through hang gliding camp in North Carolina. We signed up for a full week of lessons and went on the dunes almost every single day, using their 'dune kites'. Zack was the lead instructor of a team who helped us. He wore flip flops, cargo shorts, a tee shirt and a smile a mile wide.
They teach in groups but when Zack learned our objective, he worked around the others there to play and helped Paul and I focus on what we were trying to accomplish. It would take me three weeks to learn foot launch so I was along for the ride and trying to get air time. To Zack's credit, by the time we left, after 7 days on the dunes, Paul flew a Wills Wing (which is a full glider) from the highest dune back to the pack up area.
There happened to be a busload of schoolchildren at the bottom of the dunes who had been happily rolling to the bottom of the dunes and eluding teachers trying to get them to line up. The looks on their faces when they saw Paul soaring is still one of my favorite hang gliding memories. As Paul soared over them, I could see from vantage point the awe ripple from the right to the left. By the time he was in full soar, he had the rapt attention of several classes of schoolkids and their harried teachers. When he landed, which was a perfect. spot on landing,(thanks to Zack's and the other instructors teaching) a cheer rose up from the crowd and the kids all wildly applauded and screamed, "Did you SEE that??" One little kid followed us all the way back in, peppering Zack with questions and Zack answered every one and encouraged the little boy to come back in a few years so he could learn." The kid left with, "Wow, man, I can LEARN that?"
Zack had terrific patience, a very Zen and peaceful approach to everything and was determined that Paul and I get our monies worth. When winds made it too hard to fly, he used that time to teach us how to ground handle the glider in a breeze.
Last year, when Susan went to North Carolina to try her hand at instructing, she came back on a visit with tales about this really cool instructor and his girlfriend and how they were so easy to talk to and such awesome people. Zack is such an unusual name, I asked, "Did he have a great smile, amazing attitude and really curly hair?" Susan had befriended the young man who taught her Dad to foot launch. The hang gliding community is so small. And every light that is dimmed is a loss. Thanks for letting me share about Zack.
On the way home last night, Paul and I talked a little about him. "I haven't really taken the time to think about Zack, how are you doing about his death, hon?" "I haven't thought about it either. Susan will be here this Saturday, I hope we can talk to her about him, Sam." I told him we would and although we are truly far removed from him and his immediate circle I believe that somehow, some way, our talking about what a great guy he was will go out into the universe in a good way.
Valerie