Tree club analysis and description of rescue (very long)

[breezyk1d]

Post Accident Analysis

1. Conditions at H.R 12/30/05: winds NW from 10-15 gusting to 20-22. Overcast, with broken sunshine coming through later in the day. Cold, maybe 40?s with the wind chill.

2. I should not have chosen to launch ? the conditions were very strong with too much variability overall (gusts from 12 ?20) for my experience level, even though the lulls by themselves were acceptable (a steady 10 mph or so). I had been on the fence about deciding to launch ? I felt it was borderline do-able for me. That alone should have been enough of a deterrent. I was too anxious to soar my S2. I had just watched several longtime pilots launch and get their Western wing lifted and careen toward the trees to the North before leveling out. Discussion with the other crew members on those launches was that we felt the pilots were launching too far back from the edge and not getting into the airstream enough prior to launch.

3. If nothing else, the cardinal rule of dealing with only one difference at a time should have applied. New glider ? so don?t launch in different conditions than one is used to.

4. Even if it wasn?t blatant, flagrant H3 syndrome, it was from the sense that I thought this was something I should be able to do ? launch in these conditions. And it wasn?t just me that paid the price for my stupidy ? so many others were dragged into it too.

5. Having elected to launch, I should have been extra cautious to avoid the same mistake of starting launch from too far back. I launched from much too far back from the edge. I had not intended to launch from so far back. As I am very afraid of heights in general (afraid of falling) I am very uncomfortable getting close to the edge of the rock. The ?ramp suck? sensation in particular gives me problems. I had intended to move closer to the edge, but didn?t end up doing so. Not a good thing when fear controls the launch rather than knowledge.

6. According to Danny who was crewing, my nose popped on my first step forward. I was not aware of this at the time and have no recollection of my nose popping. Probably the fear factor blotting out the circumstances. I heard someone holler something, but it didn?t register into action on my part. I don?t recall what it was that was shouted to me. Presumably something along the lines of ?pull-in?, which would have been the only way to possibly salvage that launch (if it was salvageable at all). But the strength of the wind out there was surprisingly strong, and a nose pop/wing lift in those strong conditions is quite overpowering for my strength level (which is minimal).

7. My left wing lifted significantly and I was already far far to the right hand side of the launch, and could see that my right wing was about to skim the tree line. At that time, I was able to pull the bar in to attempt to establish more control, but I was too close by then and my wing tip clipped some wood, control was lost and the glider turned into the trees.


General description of the rescue

8. I pretty much simply plowed straight into the branches or so it seemed to me, and was supported in a fairly level roll position though my nose was in a significant pitch up attitude. My downtubes were about a 60 degree angle+ off horizontal, or greater, with my control bar out in front of my face.

9. Other than staying quite still and reporting that I was fine to those within earshot, I simply evaluated my position. It didn?t seem that I was in danger of falling down or even of getting lifted out by the wind. The branch under my left wing appeared fairly dead and I was not sure it would continue to support the weight. I was facing the cliff face which was about 20-30(?) feet in front of me. It appeared that if the left branch did give way, that I would swoop toward the right - my right wing being supported between branches of a different tree, but that I may not actually swoop all the way to impact the cliff. I think I was 50-80 feet up in the air (again not sure). There was nothing immediately apparent to me that I could do for myself. So I simply waited and talked with the folks on the ground who scrambled down to help.

10. After I had seen Batman go into the trees last year , and seen the difficulty the ground crew had getting a rope to him, I had added to my minimalist tree kit a container of dental floss - a suggestion I had heard about from Pete Schumann when he gave his tree seminar at the CHGPA meet. (I had weighted the floss with a tiny dimestore carabiner and a fishing weight). Thank goodness for that floss! I will now add a couple more dental floss containers for the future ( I desperately wanted to lower down my radio and vario so they wouldn?t get damaged by further developments.)

11. Danny sat on the rocks partway down the cliff and chatted with me, which was extremely reassuring. Familiar faces in calm mode were extremely important, even if there was not much that could be done without ropes.

12. Hugh called from the LZ on the radio to see if I was okay, and I could reach my radio and respond.

13. Marc F. called from the LZ to offer support and guidance, and to report that Pete had seen someone in the trees and had landed to come assist.

14. Carlos was provided a decent rope by a spectator (is that part correct?) and he tied it off to a tree higher up the cliff than I was located. Then Danny and Dave hooked the other end of the rope to the dimestore carabiner on my floss and I pulled that up and tied it to my glider downtube per instructions. I guess the first thing was to try to stabilize the glider in case it slipped or lifted.

15. Pete got there and climbed the tree on my right by stepping on Danny?s back, then up to Tom?s shoulders and so to the lowest branch, and he set up a system of ropes, carabiner, and knots. Pete and I were a little stumped about the best way to get me out and down. Pete?s rope was attached to the tree, but below me, so I would drop and swing if I unhooked (which I ultimately couldn?t do because I couldn?t support my weight enough to allow me to unhook - it was double wrapped around my carabiner for proper height above basetube - ugh.) We then looked for a way, after hooking his carabiner/rope into my carabiner, to support me from a secondary hang strap, but that strap had only a very small D ring holding it together and we didn?t trust it to support me while being lowered to the ground. Eventually we hit upon looping his rope over my keel, so when I eventually cut my hang strap, I didn?t even drop more than an inch or so.

16. In the meantime, the rescue teams had arrived and one fellow was disturbed by Pete?s rescue approach to the extent that he apparently considered outloud perhaps removing Pete from the scene forcefully when he could. I believe he doubted Pete?s grasp of basic physics and he suspected Pete intended to pancake me into the cliff face like George of the Jungle. But it sounded like they have an insurance like the USHGA insurance: void if not a card carrying member.

17. The rescue squad had sent up a backup rope belay (not sure of proper terminology), and Pete?s purple rope and the orange squad rope lowered me to the ground with relative ease (or so it seemed to me ? Pete was doing the limb balancing act during this).

18. Amazingly, the pilots then proceeded to extract my glider from the tree. Pete was still swinging around in the treetops sawing away at limbs to get the glider clear and its wires untangled enough to release it from the branches. They lowered it to the ground (steep slippery loamy and rocky slope) (I helped as much as I could at this point since there was something I could actually now do) and then we all proceeded to break it down. I would have been less surprised if they had said ? ?here?s your glider back lady, break it down yourself and good luck getting it up the slope.?

19. Steve Kinsely not only helped break it down, but he and Pete then portaged it back up the steep slope and stuck it on my car too. Why Pete at this point was still participating was completely beyond me. He should have been sitting on launch relaxing and drinking a cold beer (with pizza too as Marc pointed out). This was after Steve had also broken down Danny?s glider ( if I heard this right) since Danny was scrabbling on the slope and getting accessories for the rescue. Danny and Dave hauled glider components out, Marc collected my dropped equipment, and Danny smoothed things over with the Military Policeman.

Launched somewhere between about 3:00 - 3:30 (I think it was more like 3:30 but it is hard to believe they could have had me down in just an hour!) and I was on the ground by 4:30 talking to my kids on the cell phone. The glider was down and stowed just as dusk descended by 5:30.

My apologies to the flying community for my mistakes which caused so much trouble for everyone.

Anyone who has more description, or correctionson launch- rescue-operations; your input is welcome.

A huge thank you to everyone who responded and assisted. Pete deserves golden accolades, not only for this rescue but because he is willing to do so, and has apparently done numerous rescues, for pilots in general. He went to amazing lengths to get me out of there and he put himself at considerable risk by doing so. I would still be in the tree if it had been left solely up to the rescue squad to get me out. They want to help, but I suspect that these kinds of rescues are the ones they are least able to do much about. -Linda

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[mcelrah]

Thanks for the detailed write-up - it's not fun exposing yourself to
a lot of Monday-morning-quarterbacking, but it's how we learn from
eachother's "experiences" . Don't beat yourself up too much - as Tom
said, you are in august company and we all help eachother when needed
- it's one of the most wonderful things about the sport. For what
it's worth, I was impressed with your level-headed demeanor on the
radio. Any idea what the damage to your glider is? - Hugh

[mcelrah]

Since there seems to be a potential for friction, does anyone think
we need to be proactive and meet with the various EMS/rescue squads
to talk about "integrating our special skills with theirs" (words
from that wallet card USHGA sent out)? - Hugh