Home Forums Safety Accident report – Hang glider launch at Crestline

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  • #11266

    Accident summary

    On February 7, afternoon, pilot attempted to launch on a Sport 3 135 at Crestline.  Witness states that the launch run was weak and the nose popped up on about the second step.  The wing and pilot did become airborne momentarily but the the glider slid right and struck the ground almost immediately.

    Conditions

    The recorded winds at Crestline were 0-5 mph south, the witness reported winds at time of launch of 2-4 south.

    Emergency response 

    None

    Injuries

    None

    Damage

    Bent downtube

    Pilot involved

    The pilot had experience and ratings appropriate to launching a Sport 3 at Crestline.

    Root cause

    The wing did not achieve full flying speed and mushed into the ground

    Proximate cause

    The pilot did not run aggressively enough for the conditions, which the nose going high mid run exacerbated

    Corrective action

    The pilot debriefed with fellow pilots immediately after the accident and acknowledged the run was not aggressive enough for the light conditions.  This flight is good example of the benefit of taking note of the conditions and giving oneself a briefing of what is necessary for a safe launch

     

    #11269
    Marc Deschenes
    General Member

    Could be a good idea to add KEEP NOSE DOWN to the HOOK IN signs we see at launches.

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