Paragliding Accident at Belstone

Turbulent conditions at Belstone, Dartmoor, April 2010 lead to a low altitude wing collapse, resulting in dislocated shoulder, cracked rib and knee ligament injury. Glider is a DHV 2 Ozone Vulcan. I hope this video reinforces the need to take care in thermic conditions.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Paragliding
• crash
• front
• tuck
• Belstone

[ChuckyG2009]

@TimPriestnall - that is my vario altimeter; a fast rising beep means you are climbing. A slowing lower tone means you are falling. The change in tone is coincident with my entry/exit to/from a small punchy thermal. I looked at my chute because I was aware of the collapse rather than because of the vario. However, frantic vario beeping (ie rapid changes in height) are an indicator that you are in turbulent conditions.

[estebanmarin002]

Mate but I have a question: Just before, I think you entered a thermal and seems like the glider was in a full stall position due to the back tips of the canopy almost touching. And I think that is what happened, I will be really interested if you could share more about your accident please

[ChuckyG2009]

@estebanmarin002 Hi Esteban. What you can't see in the video is that the initial problem was a frontal collapse - this is just out of shot. Naturally the wing then dropped behind me some way, partially deflated and looking fully stalled. I think it's more likely that the cause of this was relatively colder, descending air closing the leading edge of the wing as I exited a thermal.

[BTPreservation]

The initial reaction to the front tuck was to blame. When a wing has a front tuck, it will re-inflate and fly without any control. If you instinctivly pull down on the breaks this will stop. A closed wing will stall.

This is what happened. When the front collapses - hands up, let the wing recover itself - there is nothing else you can do. let it dive in front of you - that is when you break the wing a bit and then recover. This applies to any glider, but 1 and 1-2's are more forgiving.

[ChuckyG2009]

@BTPreservation. Hi, thanks for the comment. This is something I have thought about. I realise that the wing will recover itself following a front tuck, but I was pretty close to the ground and wanted to recover the tuck asap. The Vulcan user manual states: "Symmetrical collapses reinflate without pilot input, however 15 to

20cm of brake applied symmetrically will speed the process."

[FinsterFlummoxing]

How common is this? I was thinking about taking up the sport. I mean, how dangerous is this sport?

[ChuckyG2009]

@FinsterFlummoxing. Hi Finster. Paragliding, as with any airsport, involves a level of risk. However, it is a much safer sport now than it was 20 years ago thanks to advances in wing design resulting in more benign behavioural characteristics. It's essential to train for a BHPA qualification though (Club Pilot, minimum).

[jjdupz]

Please remove the first 4:30 of the video ... 

[TimPriestnall]

What was the beeping? sounded like it was measuring something, as when it went crazy you suddenly looked up at your wing

[cloudsurferireland]

glad you ok buddy xx

[BANKSYSKNAB]

yawn...

[MrLiftHog]

@FinsterFlummoxing Here we go again re: which is safer Paragliding or Hang Gliding. I've just read a report from a paragliding instructor of twenty years (also a hang glider pilot) who says hang gliding is safer, (or less dangerous). A Hang Glider is semi rigid wing which is braced to absorb impact. A Paraglider is not, if it collapses and does not re-inflate in time it's you verses the terrain. Usually the terrain wins.

[lpmanuk]

Ref Murray Hay:-

1. Doesnt take into account that a lot more people are flying nowdays so we should expect? more accidents.

2. Gliders are SAFER nowadays BUT they are only as safe as the person using them.

3. As for stating use of DHV 2/3, DHV3, what does this mean? I know plenty of pilots on the hill flying them who should be on DHV 1 OR DHV 1/2's.

It can be relatively safe BUT this depends on YOU, if you are a risk-taker I suggest crochet...but watch your eye with that needle!

[lpmanuk]

Spot mistakes..

1. Sping time [April] (after a Winter with little flying?).

2. Most turbulent part of the day (14.00 hrs).

3. Flying close to hill in turbulent conditions.

4. Pilot braked (stalled as he had wrap on) canopy insted of letting full-frontal recover.

5. Perhaps if pilot reacts as in 4 it indicates that canopy is too advanced for his level of experience?

BUT

Pilot recognised HIS mistake rather than saying 'I was unlucky' ..respect!

Thanks for your honesty/post

[davehor1]

You can see on hand from the harness a front clapper, probably while exiting the thermal, you can see how before that he had gone light on the brakes.

I saw the comment a couple times, the only you can do in a front clapper is to let the chute reinflate and then carefully brake, frantically braking only makes the situation worse especially when the inputs are so large, they then lead to asymetrical collapses, which I think can be seen in the video. The clapper isn't preventable, practice.

[lookus69]

@BTPreservation so you mean that he should NOT brake the wing when it collapses?

[zomzom26]

at 4:51 is when he crashes