US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

Advanced rated PG flying smooth sunset conditions at Crestline, impacts terrain during an acrobatic maneuver. Windy conditions and darkness impede the rescue efforts and responders were unable to reach the pilot until approximately 6 hours after the event. The pilot was found deceased when they arrived and the body recovered the following day by San Bernardino County Search and Rescue teams. Acrobatic endeavors push the envelope of safety to its extreme. Performing such maneuvers with minimal ground clearance reduces or even eliminates the possibility of chute deployment or recovery and place severe injury or death high on the list of probable outcomes. Theoretical? No. FACT.

This type of flying has become more common at Crestline ridge and we will no doubt be having this conversation again. The only question is, when.

Choosing when, where, and how you fly, is a lesson taught within the first days of training. Most accidents can be traced back to failures of the fundamentals taught those first few days. Choose wisely please. The God of statistics is paid regardless of all else and your choices determine if you will be the barter of the day. It is a very sad thing, this is.

"Oh no - now all the mass is on the human!" :: RM

Rick Masters wrote:Powered PG, 5 month experience, 107F max temp, gusts to 17 mph in Hurricane, UT.

Crashed 2 miles east of town toward Zion National Park at an elevation 1000+ feet higher than he took off.

All the extra mass of PPG is not compensated by extra strength of the operator to counter collapse, spirals or twists.

Flying PPG in inland turbulence on a day like this is dancing with death.

I'm thinking about starting a YouTube series on freeflight accidents...

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP)— A Utah sheriff’s official says the creator of the YouTube channel “King of Random” shot video that showed his fatal paragliding crash and that it indicates the craft crashed quickly after its chute collapsed