MikeI wrote:Enno Roellgen's AccidentFri May 19, 2023 11:19 amHi Everyone, here is the public copy of the accident report for Enno Roellgen's crash. I've left their names out of the report in case it gets distributed further, but Phil Bloom, Angelo Sta Catalina, and Jonathan Dietch were present and are more than willing to share further thoughts.
Incident Details:
Pilot: Enno Roellgen
USHPA: 107724
Rating: P3
Wing: Ozone Buzz Z6
Date: May 13, 2023
Location: Avenue S Site, Lancaster, CA - See details below
Time: Around 2:00 PM, PDT
Summary: Enno had a partial collapse of the right side of his paraglider while thermalling. He went into a spin, and impacted a bush and the ground. He was found dead when paramedics arrived.
Investigator Info:
Name: Mike Ivey (Safety Director - Sylmar Hang Gliding Association)
E-mail:
mike.s.ivey@gmail.comUSHPA: 86546
There were 3 other pilots who immediately witnessed the event. The report was created based on interviews with them. Their names are left out of the report, but contact me if you are interested in further conversations and I can see about putting you in touch, as they have indicated they are willing to share their experiences with other pilots.
General conditions, based on interviews from pilot 1.
One witness did not see the event, he heard about it on the radio and secondhand. He knew Enno for a short time, but thought he was a generally pretty good pilot. Pilot 1 thought Enno had shown intermediate skills in prior flights at Kagel.
The conditions for the day looked good on forecast, with no top and a possible convergence. On launch they observed very little wind, with it a little switchy. The first pilot launched in light and variable conditions, and climbed out after some scratching. It ended up being about an 11k foot day. He found thermals with climb rates up to about 400 foot per minute, which were mostly smooth. He did not see any evidence of a shear layer or convergence which may cause unexpected turbulence. Overall, an intermediate, but not very turbulent day.
Incident details, based on interviews from pilot 2.
Pilot 2 was the immediate witness. He was in the thermal with Enno when the initial collapse happened.
Both launched around 2pm (Pilot 2 does not recall who launched first). It was a pretty challenging launch because there was no wind. Everyone was dressed for altitude and a bit tired of waiting as it was getting hot. Other pilots at the launch thought from launch conditions that it would be short flights with no lift.
Pilot 2 and Enno scratched for a while after launching, then started to climb, they were in pretty close proximity to each other, sharing a thermal. They finally started to get some altitude, and review from tracklogs and video footage showed collapse happening at 325 feet AGL.
The initiating event Enno had a 40-50% asymmetric collapse on the outside tip of his paraglider. They were turning counter clockwise in the thermal. Enno was Flying an Ozone Buzz Z6. Per Pilot 2, this is a low B glider, which he expected Enno would have been able to re-inflate.
From pilot 2’s viewpoint it looked pretty similar to a case where the outside wing exited the lift band, and was collapsed by the sinking air on the outside of the thermal.
After his glider turned out of the thermal, it started turning the opposite way, and started spiraling. The glider held the spiral all the way to the ground. Pilot 2 was surprised, as he would have expected Enno to apply a little bit of outside break to correct. It took about 10 seconds from collapse to hitting ground.
Enno landed in a bush about ¼ mi from launch. Paramedics found that his helmet was cracked in half. The trunk of the bush was also snapped in half.
Pilot 2 spent some time watching for movement, trying to radio other pilots in the air. Pilot 2 also tried to call the driver (a pilot who lives in the area, who took them up to launch on his ATV). Pilot 2 called 911 from the air. During this time he was thermaling with 1 hand, talking with emergency services. He felt comfortable in that situation as he’d done SIV and acro training.
Pilot 2 was talking with them while hovering over where Enno crashed. Thought about top landing, but too many bushes. Did what he could to land near ambulance but ended up landing at LZ.
By that point police were being escorted up to the crash site by the driver.
No witnesses saw him try to throw the reserve. It was suggested to investigators that they check the reserve, but at this time we don’t know its status.
There is footage from a hang glider pilot’s keel camera of the initial incident. Please contact me if you would like a copy of the footage.
Pilot Details
P3 Rated, details page below.
He flew for some time previously, then took a break. When he came back, he renewed rating with Hadi Golian.
Site Details:
shga.com/flyingSites/AvenueS.htm
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