Incident Summary

On April 25th @ 18:00, pilot was paragliding close to Regionals Launch. When attempting to join other pilots in a nearby thermal, pilot got too low behind the front ridge, encountered sink and rotor, and landed in dense bushes (no reserve deployment). Additional details from local news report here.

Conditions

Weather was clear and warm. At 18:00, Marshall Peak Launch weather station reported SW winds @ approximately 10mph. Moderate thermal activity, as other pilots were thermalling nearby.

Emergency or Medical Response

Pilot was in radio communication with other pilots. Pilot was not injured, but due to the dense vegetation, required helicopter extraction. San Bernardino County Fire was called and requested assistance for helicopter hoist rescue. Pilot was extracted @ 20:55, assessed at a nearby staging area, and released at the scene with no injuries reported.

Injuries

No injuries.

Pilots Involved

Paraglider Pilot (P2)

Root Cause

Rotor from front range causing loss of control of glider too close to terrain.

Proximate Cause

Pilot did not allow for adequate altitude and terrain clearance behind front range.

Corrective Action

Pilot to review terrain clearance safety margins and terrain-generating conditions (rotor, thermal activity, etc) with instructor.