US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

Doug Prather, HG pilot flying a T2c Wills WIng gets hurt bad on this video, he don't think that he will be able to walk again after this crash. This crash is the pilots fault for trying to do a skid across the water, as he got low to do a water skid his glider took the plunge in the the drink. He was knocked out on impact the water was cold and took other pilots time to get to him to save his life... this was not a pretty crash. The water was 30 feet deep and the glider went down, On the video the crash does not look so bad, but Doug was hurt bad during this crash... When I talk to Doug, he thinks that he will not be able to walk again. Doug is a Cali pilot, and continues to fly hang gliders and uses wheels to launch his glider now.

Dougie is walking with a walker unassisted. He also drives a car unassisted.

A couple of weeks ago, he was rolled off the launch at McClure. (He had the requisite tight hang strap when launching but I do not think he did the required lift and tug ) He tore many holes in the sky; I think he got about 90 min. He landed on wheels in the lz.

miguel wrote:He tore many holes in the sky; I think he got about 90 min. He landed on wheels in the lz.

Miguel,

That's great to hear. Also saw a video last week, with Noman.

Not sure what happened with Doug and the pond. Did the basebar hit the water. Was he attempting a toe drag?

Wheels are fine!

Were there any similarities to Peter Birren's cart mishap?

Are these happenings the price we pay to fly like a bird?

It happens in all aviation.

Lets help each other manage the risks.

Whatever it takes, know you're hooked in.

Sam

There are a few threads on the org concerning the crash, including comments by Doug (Rotor)

miguel wrote:There are a few threads on the org concerning the crash, including comments by Doug (Rotor)

Please feel free to post links to anything that's appropriate for the topic. The US Hawks doesn't ban people for posting links to other hang gliding sites.  

Links:

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=20969

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=20687

If I get banned, so be it.

Altitude over water is a very hard thing to judge. As is the ground at night when
landing a plane at a lit runway. I saw a HG pilot do the same thing as in this video
on July 4th this past summer at Lookout Mtn in GA. The campfire does not allow
enough light to properly judge your altitude and depth perception. He had a severe
impact in the LZ. I pretty much stopped flying my airplane at night simply because
if you have to make an emergency landing, the critical depth perception and flare
timing are more likely to be off considerably. Not to mention obstacle avoidance.

Tommy

Way back before the FAA made it illegal , my buddies and I would drive out to Plowshare (east of Santa Maria, CA) to fly full moon nights . It was incredible. Magical . Some nights the north wind would keep us up for hours on the long, high ridge . We could see each other in the air just fine, but for landing we would turn on flashlights taped to the downtubes . As we neared the ground, the beams would come together and you flared . It worked great! Great memories.

soar8hours wrote:Altitude over water is a very hard thing to judge.

I got my seaplane rating in the early 80's. They use a special technique for "glassy water" landings. You basically set up in a "prepare to land" configuration and fly it until you touch down. You don't attempt to flare or even guess when you're about to land. You just fly all the way down in that "prepare to land" mode until you splash in.

Good discussion.