[wingspan33]

Free,

I understand that the mechanism may have worked fine. Like my example of the rafting adventure, yea the rafts float, the life preservers will preserve your life, and the rusty paddles will paddle the rafts, . . .

BUT could one or all of those "slightly off" features of the equipment contribute to an accident?

Compare that to a well researched, developed and maintained professional product.

[Note : I have since seen some pictures that appear to be closer up shots of the "tow trailer" rig. In those pictures the details of the set-up seem more professional. The from-a-distance shots, not so much.]

On a new point - The tandem pilot was 55 years old. I had my first heart attack (very mild luckily!) when I was 54. I hope they do an autopsy on the pilot to be sure things didn't "go wrong" because he was having a serious heart related event. That would involve the kind of situation where there's not much that could have been done. Except perhaps the ability (through education) of the tandem pilot to recognize early symptoms.

With video on board the wing (has this actually been confirmed?) there are lots of things that can be better understood.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Moderator's note: With Free's permission, I've moved this topic from the Blog forum to the Hang Gliding General forum. I've left a link in the Blog forum for anyone who looks for it there.

[Rick Masters]

I remember getting pretty excited about ATOL when it first came out, mostly because of the clean air it presented the wing and the constant tension pay-out (for safety), but also because we were plagued by snaggy little bushes in our area and ATOL could do away with the tow line coming in contact with the ground if you did it right. As for looking pretty, well-maintained equipment is the priority, looking good comes in second. Still, at the time I did not yet appreciate the complexity that towing with weight shift presented. Nor did I realize how much luck was in play for a lot of hang glider pilots experimenting with towing, since I was too cautious to try it myself.

I was out at El Mirage on a disappointing, low wind day with my sailcar. Bill Bennett's group was giving tows when Trip Mellinger showed up. They offered him a tow in their new wing. I don't remember what it was but it was years after Trip had made a name for himself flying north from Cerro Gordo with Gene Blythe on Pheonix 6Bs and he mentioned he hadn't flown in a year. Well, this was an obvious recipe for disaster: New wing, unfamiliar harness, and maybe little or no towing experience.

He ran and got off okay, then flew up to maybe 300 feet but he didn't release. The truck saw that he was flying okay and slowed down, and the tow line hung down from Trip's glider in a big arc. Then he did the most unbelievable thing. With the truck still heading west, he executed a 180 and flew away from it, still attached to the tow line. I was expecting the line to snap taut and tumble the glider, but at the last moment, he turned back and came down and landed by the truck, none-too-happy, if I remember correctly.

Maybe he knew what he was doing and maybe he didn't. That was when I determined to never tow. There was just too much stuff going on and I had mountains in my backyard, so what was the point?

[brianscharp]

With video on board the wing (has this actually been confirmed?) there are lots of things that can be better understood.

If a video exists I'm sure we'll all get a chance to review it after the investigation is through. Just kidding.

[Rick Masters]

Generally, investigations of fatal hang glider accidents are pretty straight forward. The "unknowns" can often be determined by the outcome. Structural failure indicates aerobatics or towing. Nose-down crashes indicate stall or lock-out. No glider nearby indicates failure to hook in. No glider, no harness: failure to step into leg straps. Two gliders: midair. Broken tubing indicates the angle of impact. Etc. It's not real complicated. After a few years of flying, any of us become qualified to evaluate and discuss an accident. Jose from U$hPa may be some designated "expert," but that doesn't mean he can see things any more clearly than we do. I mean, we're only dealing with a short list of parts. It's not a Boeing 747.

But people in paragliding have this innate reaction to all fatal accidents: "Let's wait and see." "Wait until the investigation report." "Let's not speculate."

Why is this? I'll tell you why. Paragliders collapse in turbulence and kill their pilots. They all know this. This is the elephant in the room. Over 1,300 global fatalities, most since 2002. There is no fix. Do you think it took anywhere near 13 years for hang gliding to fix divergence? What more evidence do you need that paragliding has a problem that can't be solved?

At the PG death scene, you find only a dead body and a soaring parachute in perfect condition. How often do you hear, "He was flying a paraglider and his luck ran out in the PDMC."? No, it's always the "freak gust of wind" boogeyman. It wasn't the pilot's fault. The boogeyman got 'em. "Hey kid, wanna used paraglider, cheap?"

So now you guys have a BOD packed with paraglider pilots and joyride profiteers masquerading as "instructors." Then you have a fatal tandem joyride hang glider crash on tow with witnesses. Everything's real obvious. And what does the Board say?

What do you expect them to say? "Let's wait and see." "Wait until the investigation report." "Let's not speculate."  

Don't you get it? This should send chills down your spine. That's all they can do. And they're screwing over your sport. It used to be about flying. Now it's about income. No more honesty. No more safety consciousness. Hide. Obfuscate. Delay. Wait. Build a bulwark against the world with lawyers. Don't threaten the money.

We've got to stop this. It's way beyond out of control. You are going to lose your sport if you keep this up.

Parachuting and hang gliding don't mix. Run, don't walk, away.

[brianscharp]

So now you guys have a BOD packed with paraglider pilots and joyride profiteers masquerading as "instructors." Then you have a fatal tandem joyride hang glider crash on tow with witnesses. Everything's real obvious. And what does the Board say?

What do you expect them to say? "Let's wait and see." "Wait until the investigation report." "Let's not speculate."

If paraglider pilots are responsible for that behavior they've succeeded in brain washing HG pilots. Hang glider pilots are doing this on a hang glider forum all by themselves. Just go to the org. and see how some are outraged at even suggesting HGs crash let alone having any discussion about why. When it's fatal there is always the call for "Let's not speculate" and "Wait until the investigation report."

[wingspan33]

Speculation is a terrific tool. Given a particular situation - where not all facts are known - different scenarios can be played out. They may or may not include the "real" situation, but they make us THINK just the same. And that thought is about "What could have been done differently in this situation,or in that situation?". It all makes us THINK about safety related topics/scenarios.

If the u$hPa is encouraging pilots to NOT consider all sorts of safety related issues (connected with SPECULATION!) then they are encouraging IGNORANCE. This slippery slope leads to the USHPA promoting UNSAFE flight behavior. Oh wait! Attacking Bob K instead of going after Air California Adventure Inc? Hmmmmmm, . . .

The future is already here! . . . .

[Free]

This again makes an irrelevant issue of Harrison not having a BLM permit.
More significant is that USHPA did not return the reporter's call.

By RICARDO TORRES
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevad ... h-blm-says

A hang gliding instructor killed along with an 11-year-old boy in a crash near Jean on Friday did not have a permit to operate on the federal land where the aircraft went down, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

John Kelly Harrison, 55, of Kameula, Hawaii, and owner of Las Vegas Hang Gliding, died in a dry lake bed about 30 miles south of Las Vegas. Arys Moorhead, 11, of Farmington, N.M., died while being driven for help.

Special recreation permits are required for commercial use on federal land, according to the BLM.

“This company did not have one,” BLM spokeswoman Kirsten Cannon said Tuesday.

Applicants for permits must supply operation plans and maps, Cannon said. If the land falls in more than one federal jurisdiction, applicants must apply to multiple agencies.

Depending on the activity, applicants are required to meet with a BLM outdoor planner, Cannon said. Some permits also require licensing or insurance.

Las Vegas Hang Gliding was not licensed in Las Vegas or Clark County, records show.

Harrison’s company was registered as a Nevada limited liability company LLC in January, according to secretary of state’s office.

A New Mexico family had booked a hang gliding lesson with Harrison on Friday. Arys was the most excited in the group, police said, so he went first.

The boy and Harrison were riding side by side in the glider, which was being pulled by a trailer behind a pickup, when the truck made an abrupt turn. The glider crashed, killing Harrison. The boy’s family drove him toward Las Vegas for medical attention and stopped along Interstate 15 to seek help from a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper, but it was too late.

Arys died near Sloan Drive, about 10 miles from where the glider went down.

Metro’s fatal traffic unit investigated since the deaths involved a motor vehicle, police said. The Federal Aviation Administration initially assisted but its role was limited since the aircraft was not motorized or registered with the agency.

The police investigation was still active Tuesday, Metro spokeswoman officer Laura Meltzer said. The pickup driver has not been charged.

Police said Friday the driver of the truck thought the tether had been released, as is usually done by the person in the glider.

Harrison was the sole proprietor of Las Vegas Hang Gliding, Metro and the BLM said.

Hang gliding is self-regulated by the U.S. Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association, according to the organization’s website. The site did not include listings for Harrison and Las Vegas Hang Gliding.

A voice message to the U.S. Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association was not returned Tuesday afternoon.

Harrison said on his company website that he offered hang gliding lessons and that he had earned a master hang gliding rating. He said he had 35 years of experience in the sport.

Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites

[brianscharp]

Free is faster.

[Free]

Speculation is a terrific tool.

The video would be a much better tool. I'm speculating there is one.
Tim Herr will probably be releasing it any day now.

More speculation: The rope slack -lack of tension- likely had to be from not enough brake pressure dialed up on the spool.
The only other way I can think of was that the truck stopped first and I doubt that.

The glider blasted off the cart and started mushing from lack of rope tension.
The driver tried to fix it by speeding up and cranking the brake pressure up on the drum/spool.
The slack caught up to a glider that was likely nose high and crooked.
A very quick lockout low to the ground ensued.