Memorial Day 500ft Paragliding Crash - Bellyache, Colorado

Sketch Paragliding wreck off bellyache ridge near Edwards, Colorado on a gusty Memorial Day. Speedbar and lack of input, allowed a nasty rotor to cause full frontal collapse from about 500 ft. Failed to recover. Spiral to Earth was invigorating though. Reserve opened at the very last second :-) Re-entry into the Aspens hurt but could have been much much worse. Thought I was splat for sure!!

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Paragliding
• Colorado
• Crash
• Wreck
• Bellyache
• JWay
• Justin
• Way
• Frontal
• Collapse
• Fall

[yojojonathan]

never let the brakes go ...that's a rule 

[justinway33]

@yojojonathan You are correct. I made several mistakes that day, the reason I took my hands off the breaks for a second was to get my speed bar out. This was mistake number two, the second I applied the speed bar I hit a nasty rotor which together caused the initial collapse. I should have flown with more input and then after getting out over the valley thrown big ears to get down quickly. Incidentally the only thing I did do successfully was get down quickly!

[JeffServigis]

The scariest thing was just how quickly it all happened. If you had spent any time at all trying to fix the collapse, you wouldn't have been able to deploy it seems.

[yojojonathan]

@justinway33 i'm glad you are ok, that's all that matters! and we all learn from our mistakes, or others:)