Paragliding Injury Incident Report

[eggzkitz]

Male 60 y/o P-2 pilot with 6 years flying experience, at Edith’s Gap Launch Area on Sunday 10/7/18 at approximately 1:50 pm suffered several (6-9) broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung as a result of an impact with the terrain below launch at Edith’s Gap Launch.

Pilot was equipped with a full-face helmet, a sit-style Advance Progress harness with back protection and an Advance Epsilon (EN-B) wing. The launch incident occurred on the pilot’s second flight of day. The pilot had previous experience and familiarity with the launch/site. The pilot’s first flight of the day was a sled ride without incident.

This summary is the result of eyewitness and pilot interviews, as well as analysis of video of the incident captured by a spectator standing on launch.

The incident occurred immediately after a reverse launch from the normal position within the Edith’s Gap slot. The pilot had been set up on launch waiting for a cycle for several minutes before launching. Both the pilot’s account and the video suggest that the pilot was unsure about the configuration of the risers prior to launching. Initially, the glider set up was configured and laid out for a right-hand reverse turn, which was correct given that the pilot’s normal turn direction is to the right. Due to an apparent desire to correct what was (incorrectly) perceived as an incorrect/twisted riser configuration, the pilot did a 360-turn to reverse the riser twist configuration just prior to launch, inadvertently resulting in a left-hand reverse turn configuration. After approximately 30 seconds of additional time watching the launch conditions over his right shoulder, the pilot announced “clear” and pulled the wing up overhead easily in light conditions, turned to the right (his normal turn direction) and proceeded forward off the hill. Due to the steepness of terrain on the launch, the twist was identified only as the pilot’s feet left the ground, resulting in the pilot flying away from the hill in a twisted configuration. The pilot and harness untwisted partially back to the left, resulting in the pilot flying backwards away from the hill.

A major deflection of the left-side trailing edge of the glider initiated a rapid and steep left hand spiral turn, likely due to a left side brake input cause by the pilots left hand being held in a low position, possibly due to the left hand being caught beneath the twisted risers or the pilot pulling on the risers in an attempt to untwist the risers completely. The deflection of the LH trailing edge dissipated through the turn, presumably as the pilot raised his hands above his head, but the glider had already turned 90 degrees to enter a steep turn, and the glider descended into the trees below launch in a diving configuration. As a result of the rapid turn, the pilot was swung high and to the right through the turn as the wing impacted the trees and deflated, with the pilot falling approximately 15-20 feet to the ground in a back-first direction.

The medical response actions were immediate as several pilots (and one medically-trained observer) waiting on launch responded to the injured pilot, ascertaining that he was injured and immediately activating EMS. The initial symptoms were a conscious pilot complaining of back and chest pain with some gurgling noise in breathing, and positive movement and feeling in hands and toes. Those responding stabilized the pilot and tried to make him comfortable while immobilizing the neck and preventing movement. Other pilots assisted by clearing a path above to the road. Professional EMS arrived within 20 minutes of incident and loaded the injured pilot into a neck brace, then removed him from his harness and loaded him onto a backboard. Approximately 50 minutes after the crash, he was carried to the road above and transported to the Luray hospital by ambulance where he was stabilized. Responding pilots made arrangements for his personal effects, vehicle and notification of family members. Later that afternoon the injured pilot was transported to UVA Charlottesville hospital by air ambulance for further evaluation. The pilot was released on October 12th and returned home.

The primary root cause of the mishap was an incorrect reverse launch resulting in a full riser twist due to the pilot turning opposite to how the risers were configured. While the pilot turned toward his “normal” direction to the right, the risers were set up for a left turn launch at the time of launch. Initially, the risers had been configured correctly for a right hand turn, but due to pilot confusion about the appearance of a correct riser twist configuration, the pilot reversed the riser configuration just prior to launch, inadvertently creating an incorrect launch configuration.

A secondary cause of the mishap was a failure to abort the launch upon identification of the riser twist. However, aborting a launch can be difficult in high wind or steeper launch situations.

Tertiary cause of the mishap was a failure to fly the glider away from the hill before attempting to resolve the riser twist, although this may not have been possible. It remains unclear whether the left-hand brake input and corresponding steep glider turn was the result of the riser twist impacting the brake lines, or if it was the result of the pilot attempting to untwist the risers after launch.

A contributing factor was the presence of a large number of observers and other pilots on launch, which may have resulted in additional pressure on the pilot to launch before completing launch preparations.

Lessons learned:

Reverse launches require that the pilot turn in a direction consistent with the riser twist, which introduces a potential point of confusion and error. Thus pilots should develop consistent habits for reverse launches, to include always turning the same direction, and checking the riser twist configuration prior to launch. A simple positive check is to ensure that the riser on the side of the pilot turn is the top-most riser. For instance, if the pilot’s normal turn direction is to the right, the right-hand riser should be the top most of the two. This check, among others, should be conducted in all reverse launch situations prior to attempting to launch.

Pilots should attempt to launch in such a way that the inflated glider can be inspected overhead prior to committing to the launch, principally so that glider issues can be identified early enough to abort the launch if needed. This is a difficult skill that requires periodic ground handling and kiting practice.

If a pilot launches with a problem and is unable to abort the launch (e.g. collapsed tip, stick in lines, half-twist, brake line wrap or twist, etc.), the pilot should first attempt to fly the glider away from the terrain prior to resolving the issue. Generally speaking, a single twist of the risers can be resolved by forcing the risers apart and will not prevent the wing from flying normally. A twist (or flying backwards) is unsettling but can usually be resolved in flight.