[Rick Masters]

What time frame start to what time frame ending is the data not collected?

On the Archive.org image you have been reviewing, the incomplete data extends from January 2002, the year I filmed the PG Nationals, to somewhere in April 2011. The totals are for the fatalities within that range and my progress was frozen at the end date. When I say the numbers are incomplete, it is not just by a few. Last spring, I found 30 additional pre-2002 PG fatalities in Europe in one day's research - which gives a hint to the enormity of the unknown total.

Illogically, to soaring parachutists "Hang gliding is dangerous, too," seems to in some way justify their paragliding. As a hang glider pilot, however, I could never imagining myself saying, "Paragliding is dangerous, too" to justify my hang gliding. Yet every time I tried to discuss the problems known specifically to paragliders, I would hear this adolescent chorus. Soaring parachutists kept telling me that "hang gliding is dangerous, too." They were obviously going back to the beginning (1970s), presenting the global tallies gathered by Wills and Hildreth and comparing them to paragliding. But even in the absence of reliable data, it doesn't take a genius to realize that you are dramatically skewing and invalidating the argument by adding in 15 years of hang gliding fatalities before you come to the first PG fatality in 1986. That spring Manuel DaRosa became at least the 506th HG pilot to die in a hang gliding accident (in California on March 2).

So it is rather simple to begin a comparison from the first quarter of 1986 and tally the HG and PG fatalities from that point. Although both fatality numbers are incomplete, my current data indicates PG fatalities rather surprisingly reached parity with HG fatalities by 1994 or 1995. That is, as many people had died on hang gliders, an established sport, as had died on paragliders, a new and growing sport, by 1994 or 1995.

Today I have verified a minimum of 250 HG and 1269 PG fatalities since the beginning of 1986. There remains a lot of work to do before I can be satisfied with the numbers. Both are underestimates.

[wingspan33]

Rick,

I don't know if you know this, but soarable parachutes have been around since well before 1986. On page 189 of Dan Poynter's "HangGliding - The Basic Handbook of Sky Surfing" (first Copyrighted in 1973) is a brief description (with illustrations) of "The Barish Sailwing" (single surface) and "The Para Wing" (true inflatable canopy airfoil). The paragraph describing these wings begins, "Limp vs Rigid: . . . (and ends by noting) . . . Some of the earliest activity of this sport took place on the landing portion of the ski jump at Lake Placid, New York."

I would expect that there were accidents and perhaps fatalities involving these very early "Limp" wings. Finding evidence of such would, I expect, be difficult. However, surely accidents and (possibly) fatalities involving inflatable canopies began to happen much earlier than your findings indicate. But such records would probably be buried in some newspaper's old (paper) archives.

But considering this small mention in Dan Poynter's 1973 book, soaring parachutes "appeared" about the same time as hang gliding began to become a popular flying sport. I would guess that for every 1000 hang glider pilots, at that time, there may have been 1 soaring parachutist. But, as I say, that's a complete guesstimate.

[Bill Cummings]

Scott,
I had that book and gave it to someone and it never came back but I think I remember the picture. As I recall it had like multiple cells in the paraglider. Not the continuous rectangle shape now being used.

Rick,
So 2011 up to now could use some investigation?

[Rick Masters]

I'm not satisfied that any year is complete. Europe and South America in the 1990s are particularly tough.


PG fatality #1270

[Bill Cummings]

Two news reports on the internet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAr6R4I5bs4
Hang gliding accident 9/29/13
Expected full recovery

http://wavy.com/2014/09/16/man-critical ... -accident/
PPG
Pilot dies after paragliding accident
Published: September 16, 2014, 7:13 pm Updated: September 22, 2014, 4:51 pm

[Rick Masters]

1) Hang gliding accidents often have a near-horizontal vector at impact which allows the structure of the airframe to absorb much of the impact force. Paragliding accidents, on the other hand, usually have a near-vertical vector where the unfortunate falling human takes the full force of impact. To make my injury list, you need to break your back or receive multiple injuries. This is A LOT HARDER TO DO on a hang glider.

2) Jeff Toll - PPG fatality #137. Hit power lines. Easy to do on an XC flight but (sorry, friends of Jeff) inexcusable at your home field.

Thanks Bill. These are easy for me to check against my database.

[wingspan33]

I Just took a look at the videos BC posted. Now realize that this comment applies for both HG and PG (or any other aviation related) fatal accidents. When someone comments that: "At least he/she died doing something he/she loved." I think it's quite hard to imagine that anyone "loves" being slammed into the ground. Most often this is not what a pilot is doing in the seconds (or minutes?) before they are mortally wounded in a crash.

Does sugar coating a sport aviation fatality help? I would guess it may give some comfort to the victim's loved ones who are left behind. But I see it as diluting the motivation to work towards preventing some other aviator from suffering the terror of impending death. On a more partisan note, the hang gliding industry has done a lot to improve and modify its aircraft to make them safer over the last 35 years. What has the inflatable canopy industry done along the same lines? Hmmmmmm.

As an inventor, I've had ideas on how inflatable canopies could be made safer in fairly simple ways. And I was AMAZED, when stopping by one of our local Finger Lakes, to see a Parasail wing that (always) include INFLATED leading edges and "ribs". !!!! Clearly this innovation was made to keep the canopy above water in case of a necessary water start. But come on! It's also an easy answer toward PREVENTING soaring inflatable canopy collapses.

On a personal note, and in connection with the idea of "not doing something you love", I had a hard landing back in 2012. My head got thumped into, luckily, soft turf. In the process my short term memory was "turned off". I don't remember anything, retroactively, from about 2 minutes before my landing to a few hours later. However, to everyone at the scene, I was awake and talking.

The point here is that I do have one very brief memory regarding my landing. It's maybe a 1/2 to 1 second long and I believe has "neuro-chemically" stuck with me in some connection with the adrenalin being pumped into my brain at the moment. The memory is very vivid, yet I don't remember experiencing fear. I do remember exerting myself with EXTREME (weight shift) effort in an attempt to level my wings and raise the nose. The glider was in a 5-10 degree bank to the left and the nose seemed to be at a relatively negative angle of attack compared to the horizon. Considering the damage to the left LE, I also think the glider was side slipping to the left. This was all within about 10 feet AGL.

One thing I will say that was, and still is, in my mind from that moment, . . . "This is not going to be good!". At that moment, I was NOT doing something I loved! I was doing everything possible to survive a bad situation. Not fun at all.

In a way, and from my unique perspective, what happened to me is nearly identical to hearing about another pilot who has suffered a fatal accident. Observers saw the event, EMT's and the State Police showed up at the scene, and a helicopter was called and took the accident victim for emergency medical care. I heard all about this and saw pictures/video which the local news media took at the crash scene. There was a GPS on board the glider, so I was later able to analyze the (recorded every 2 seconds) track log of the flight. It was very much like a forensic investigation since, mentally, I don't remember being there.

Being put in this situation, regarding what I DO remember, allows me to say to anyone (I repeat) - In the moments before my crash, I was NOT doing what I loved!

Unless a pilot is suicidal or already dead due to a massive stroke or coronary failure, they are not loving what they are doing during a crash. I will bet, however, that more hang glider pilots, as opposed to inflatable canopy pilots, realize that they have valuable options prior to impact with the ground. Those greater options also mean that a significantly higher number of hang glider pilots are still alive to tell the tale - and go on to do what they really love once again!

[wingspan33]

Sorry for the long post, but sometimes a point needs to be illustrated in finer detail.

BTW - In the accident I describe above, I also broke my thumb on the control bar down tube as the glider impacted the ground. In doing so I snapped the down tube in half. Obviously my thumb absorbed some of the impact, but, . . . the glider also did some absorbing. As I mention above, the left LE was also mildly deformed (bowed downward) in slowing my impact. The data from my GPS implies that serious (yet unpredictable considering the day's over all conditions) turbulence is likely to have been the cause of the mishap.

Now, if I had only been flying an inflatable canopy my wing would have suffered no likely damage whatsoever! Damn annoying HG airframe!

However, as Rick repeatedly points out here, had I been flying a soaring parachute at the time, I seriously doubt I would be typing this right now. My fabric wing would be fine, but I would probably be 2 years and 3 months dead.

I would hope that some number of inflatable canopy pilots happen to read this and consider the multiple benefits of flying an aircraft with an airframe. If you are reading, let's hope the next time you think about this isn't just moments - with no possible options - before impact with the ground.

[Rick Masters]

There's a passage in Jimmy Dolittle's autobiography about how to crash an airplane. Slow down to just above stall and aim for two trees or other solid objects that are inside your wingspan. Sneak your fuselage between them and snap off the wings. The energy required to break off the wings is nearly instantly subtracted from the kinetic energy of the aircraft, reducing the velocity so much that the fuselage just slides to a stop. I think he did this several times and walked away every time. I encourage every HG and GA pilot to read this book. Soaring parachutists needn't bother. You need an airframe to pull this off.

[wingspan33]

Excellent post Rick!

As I started to hang glide back in 1975, there were more than a few occasions where pilots (including myself) landed in the trees (fun east coast flying!). Newer pilots in the late 1980s and early 1990s had no idea how to do a "safe" tree landing. So, I would tell them. They thought I was nuts, but if you have no other choice, for some reason, it's good to know the best method(s).

I'd tell them, along the same lines as Jimmy Dolittle's crash advice:

Aim for the largest portion of the tree's canopy (about 1/3rd of the way down from the top). Don't flair as you hit, keep your speed up (this way your airframe and flying wires are more likely to get well lodged and snagged in the tree's foliage). Then grab for a large branch as quick as possible - and hold ON!

I don't think this would work as well with inflatable canopies since their nonexistent airframe won't penetrate much more than feeble branches. Also the canopy is 12+ feet over your head - it can't lead the way into the heart of the tree.

So, in modifying my advice for soaring parachutists:

Aim your body at the largest portion of the tree's canopy (about 1/3rd of the way down from the top). Don't flair as you hit, keep your speed up. Then, as you fly into the tree, snapping off smaller to larger branches on the way (while they slap you in the face and you hope they don't impale you), grab for a large branch as quick as possible - and hold ON!


I would also suggest to newer hang glider pilots that IF, by necessity, you need to land in trees, it can work to fly with the intent to lodge your wing between two closely placed trees - in otherwise dense forest. But this method can place you with no major branches near by. So, it can create a more difficult rescue situation.

And here's an after thought, . . .

In the spring of 1976 I had an iffy launch off the top in Ellenville, NY in my old Eipper 17' Standard Rogallo. As I flew out of the then much more restricted launch notch I clipped the top of a tree. My air speed dropped some and I hit the top of the next tree. The glider then stalled and "fluttered" down through the trees to an amazingly gentle landing on the wooded slope. The glider was undamaged. I broke it down and walked it down the path from launch to Rt 54, where we then parked our cars. I was alone at launch so no one was the wiser. Better to fly on a day with a better up hill breeze! lol

Moral of the story for inflatable canopy occupants:

In the same scenario, when your body hits the first and/or second tree, your canopy will probably surge ahead, then (I expect) begin to deflate, dropping you to the forest floor. Or, if you are lucky, your canopy may hang you up, getting seriously entangled in the trees. Hopefully, no bones will be broken in the process! You may even get your wing out without cutting too many of your support lines or tearing fabric.

There's a passage in Jimmy Dolittle's autobiography about how to crash an airplane. Slow down to just above stall and aim for two trees or other solid objects that are inside your wingspan. Sneak your fuselage between them and snap off the wings. The energy required to break off the wings is nearly instantly subtracted from the kinetic energy of the aircraft, reducing the velocity so much that the fuselage just slides to a stop. I think he did this several times and walked away every time. I encourage every HG and GA pilot to read this book. Soaring parachutists needn't bother. You need an airframe to pull this off.