[Free]

This seems to be the first reporting:

The brief moments of trying to catch flight turned horribly bad in just seconds. "The truck took a turn ... the turn caused a little bit of slack in the line ... and when the slack came out of the line it yanked the glider and caused the glider to stall and nose dive into the ground," Corbin Moorhead said.

This came next supposedly through a police report:

The pair of hang gliders were in the air when the truck pulling the glider turned around abruptly, police said. The driver of the truck thought the tether had been released, as is usually done by the person in the glider.

The glider came crashing down because the tether had not been released, police said.

This one came after the family returned home:

Family members said everything was going smoothly until they noticed there was too much slack on the tether connecting the glider to the truck. They said the driver sped up to fix the problem and that's when things went wrong.

"As the driver increased in speed, it yanked the glider and the glider plummeted to the ground headfirst and me, my brother, my mother and my grandmother watched it as it plummeted to the ground and we raced to the crash site," said the victim's brother.

Nothing is absolutely clear. The family, the police and the reporters all very likely had never seen or knew anything about what was supposed to take place in order to accomplish a safe flight.

Ignoring the "truck took a turn" (brother's statement) or "turned around abruptly" (police report) because they don't detail the actual sequence of events, this quote seems most telling to me:

Family members said everything was going smoothly until they noticed there was too much slack on the tether connecting the glider to the truck. They said the driver sped up to fix the problem and that's when things went wrong.

I keep seeing a lack of resistance on the drum as the instigation of the problem. The glider blew off the launch just fine at around 30 mph or so giving them an instant 40 or 50 ft. of altitude. A short flight could have been safely accomplished without any rope attached at this point. The pilot could just pull in and set up his glide to a landing.

But there was a rope attached, pulling somewhat, and sagging enough that neophytes could easily recognize this as a problem.
With very few split seconds available for the pilot to assess the situation, he likely (instinctively) pushed out and entered a mush while the driver sped up/dialed up more resistance on the drum.

The rest of the scenario played out with timing of the rope quickly going tight and a glider that was mushed out, nose high and likely crooked.
The picture above is the result. Being connected (tethered) and rapid increase of tension, at that point, was the biggest detriment to pilot recovery and control of the glider.

A reliable, instantaneous release at the right time, without removing hands from the control bar, IMO, would have been the only hope to recover from that situation.
After decades of towing, this type of release isn't readily available and not commonly used. What was Harrison using? We don't know but I will bet that his release could have only been activated by removing one hand from the control bar, as that is the industry standard.

The development and discussion of reliable, hands on the bar releases has been systematically suppressed for many years by those now concerned about a crash like this on their ability to fly/profit from this sport. It's all documented in Tad Earicksons' archive at http://www.kitestrings.org/

Kelly Harrisons' towing experience likely didn't give him the insight he needed to disconnect when it was needed anyway. More experienced pilots likely would have the same outcome.
But even for those that might attempt an early release, taking a hand off the control bar in a developing lock out negates the benefit of a release anyway. And that is if the release actually worked as it's supposed to work.

Of course this is all speculation, but what's next? Cover it up and keep on doing things the same way?
Based on past practice, that would be my guess..

[Rick Masters]

If you go back to the beginning, Robert Wills and later, Doug Hildreth, the first USHGA Accident Chairmen, clearly saw the role of the USHGA as MAKING HANG GLIDING SAFER FOR THE PILOTS. The United States HG Manufacturers Association was formed at the insistence of the USHGA and worked with the USHGA to DESIGN AND BUILD SAFER HANG GLIDERS FOR THE PILOTS. Hang gliding pilots needed the USHGA. It was important. It was successful.

Stop the Stupids at the USHPA BOD meeting http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25321
Mark G. Forbes - 2011/09/29 02:26:23 UTC
We can establish rules which we think will improve pilot safety, but our attorney is right. USHPA is not in the business of keeping pilots "safe" and it can't be. Stepping into that morass is a recipe for extinction of our association. I wish it were not so, but it is. We don't sell equipment, we don't offer instruction, and we don't assure pilots that they'll be safe. Even so, we get sued periodically by people who say we "shoulda, coulda, woulda" done something that would have averted their accident. It's not just concern for meet directors and policy makers...it's about our continued existence as an association. It's about minimizing the chance of our getting sued out of existence. We're one lawsuit away from that, all the time, and we think hard about it. http://www.kitestrings.org/topic7-740.html

Why are hang glider pilots in this corporation when they need an association like the original USHGA? What do they think they gain? They need to walk away.
The u$hPa is no longer important if hang glider pilots walk away. The u$hPa is an obvious failure. Failures eventually become irrelevant. The sport of hang gliding needs a real national association NOW. Do something. But leave any aspect that is not focused on pure sport entirely out of it. No more locking out learning except in guild "$chools;" no tandem joyriding companies posing as "instructors;" no more locking up sites for concessionaires; no more kangaroo court political bannings or harassment of pilots with alternative viewpoints. Let's get back to the ideas that brought us together in the first place. Start over.

[brianscharp]

A reliable, instantaneous release at the right time, without removing hands from the control bar, IMO, would have been the only hope to recover from that situation.
After decades of towing, this type of release isn't readily available and not commonly used. What was Harrison using? We don't know but I will bet that his release could have only been activated by removing one hand from the control bar, as that is the industry standard.

Sometimes they get stuck and require both hands. Just don't lockout if you're too low to let go with both hands.
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=137819#137819

The question which seems most relevant to me is : How much tow line did they have in the air? A stuck release is easy to deal with at high altitude and high angle above the tow vehicle. On 3 different occasions, I have actually let go of the bar completely to get both hands on the release and manually pull it free. However, in the early stages of the tow, a lockout (which I have never even come close to in a tandem glider) combined with a stuck release could be catastrophic. But why wold the weak link not fail? Maybe too strong of a weak link.

At the end of a tow, we always turn our boat back toward the origin to come back under the glider and assure a better angle for recovery of the towline. The only time a pilot on our system failed to release at the proper time resulted in me simply free-wheeling the drum to allow line to be pulled back out. Fortunately, the pilot, who I won't name but begins with a "Z", realized that it was time to pull the release and it was uneventful.

A lot of unanswered questions here, and sadly we are left with the tragedy of 2 lives lost.

http://www.kitestrings.org/post7242.html#p7242

http://www.kitestrings.org/post6875.html#p6875

[Free]

Mark, (Mark G. Forbes) can you form a new position at Ushpa, official internet troll feeder? You would be a shoe in for the spot. A born natural.

Mark G. Forbes:
I love it! I've just appointed myself to the job.
This would be different (how?) from the last ten years or so? And speaking of trolls, I surfed through the Hawks website yesterday....I had no idea just how evil I really am. From the comments over there, I'm the living, breathing embodiment of tyranny, despotism and cruelty. Makes me positively giddy with the sense of power. MGF

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.ph ... z3WHug7YmG

[Bob Kuczewski]

Lots of good comments and analysis from everyone. Thanks to each of you for contributing to this important topic.

[wingspan33]

I've heard there's talk in the land of Oz that John Kelly Harrison was for all intents and purposes in violation of u$hPa's Tandem exemption. Seems he was illegally operating his tandem business on Federal land. That instantly nullifies the location as being a "USHPA Approved Tandem Launch Site" - as far as Harrison is concerned.

I was trying to remember where I heard about this information but then stumbled onto it again here - http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevad ... h-blm-says

The source is the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Doesn't appear to be some grocery store check-out-counter rag.

"BLM spokeswoman Kirsten Cannon" is quoted as saying part or all of the following:

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.

The article also states that -

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

Of course Harrison can't be fined or charged with anything since he's dead. But if he'd made application for a permit and fulfilled any other requirements necessary BEFORE taking money for a tandem joy ride then a 12 year old boy might still be alive. How's that? Well, could be the BLM would have denied his application for a permit - or it might still be in the "processing" stage. Even if he'd secured the permit, sometimes very small things make a BIG difference!

BTW - He only stated the business back in January.

Very sad state of affairs anyway you look at it.

Final comment -

If the u$hPa's Incident Report doesn't "condemn" (or even recognize) Harrison for operating his tandem business without proper permits, then they are really in a bad place regarding tandem safety issues!

[brianscharp]

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/daily-times/obituary.aspx?n=arys-thoring-moorehead&pid=174529307
ARYS THORING MOORHEAD Obituary - Farmington, NM | Farmington Daily Times

Arys Thoring Moorehead (2003 - 2015)
Obituary
Arys Thoring Moorhead, 11, of Farmington, passed from this Earth on Friday, March 27, 2015.
Arys is survived by his parents, Brik Moorhead and Michelle Schneider; brothers, Kyle Schneider and Corbin Moorhead; grandparents, David and Lucy Schneider; great-grandparents, Stanley and Dorothy Oloff of Parhump, Nev.; and many aunts, uncles and cousins from the Four Corners and the Pacific Northwest.
Arys was preceded in death by his grandparents, Sam and Linda Moorhead.
Arys attended Mesa Verde Elementary, where his classmates remember him as always having a smile on his face and as being joyful, happy, fun and kind-spirited.
Arys had a network of close family and friends that he would game with online, and together they talked, laughed, explored and played. Arys enjoyed being adventurous with his family and loved the outdoors, going camping, hiking, swimming and riding ATVs. Together, they spent time going to Chokecherry, Navajo Lake, Chico, Mont., and the Pacific Northwest, building many happy memories.
Arys was loving and loved. He will forever be in our hearts and will be forever missed. The family invites all his friends to join them in a celebration of life at 1 p.m. Friday, April 3, at McGee Park, 41 Road 5568, Farmington.

[Bill Cummings]

Free,

A reliable, instantaneous release at the right time, without removing hands from the control bar, IMO, would have been the only hope to recover from that situation.

Pictures indicate to me that the tow line was at the crash scene and was never released.
I'm thinking now that towing instruction should have any student taught during ground school
the basics of weight shift control and how to release from tow should the instructor undergo a medical event that
would prevent the instructor from releasing and steering the glider.
Lessons to the student on where the BRS deployment handle is and when and how to deploy it might improve the odds.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Bill, you make an excellent point. An easily deployable reserve system might have worked in this case. And if not this one, than possibly others.

[wingspan33]

Free,

A reliable, instantaneous release at the right time, without removing hands from the control bar, IMO, would have been the only hope to recover from that situation.

Pictures indicate to me that the tow line was at the crash scene and was never released.
I'm thinking now that towing instruction should have any student taught during ground school
the basics of weight shift control and how to release from tow should the instructor undergo a medical event that
would prevent the instructor from releasing and steering the glider.
Lessons to the student on where the BRS deployment handle is and when and how to deploy it might improve the odds.

Bill,

These are all very good comments. But imagine trying to (pre) "instruct" an 11 year old boy on how to do these things. It's not likely to work. That's why a minimum age requirement should be set for all u$hPa tandem instructional flights.