2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

General discussion about the sport of hang gliding
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Tad Eareckson
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Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

Jean Dry Lakebed Accident Report and Analysis

2015/05/11

Dear Tandem / Tow pilot,

In USHPA's ongoing effort to improve the safety of the sport, we are notifying all tandem and tow rated pilots of the facts of a recent hang gliding tandem/towing fatality. USHPA's purpose in providing this information to you is to assist you in better evaluating the risks that exist in the sport of hang gliding, particularly those risks that apply to tandem and towing flights, so that you can take measures to reduce those risks in your own flights.

Immediately upon learning of this accident, USHPA's Hang Gliding Chair of the Accident Reporting Committee assembled a special ad hoc committee to gather facts and assist local officials in their investigation of this accident. The committee members visited the scene, met with local law enforcement, reviewed the flight instrument track log, reviewed onboard- and ground-based videos, reviewed witness testimony, reviewed accident scene photos taken by local law enforcement at the scene, and inspected all the equipment involved. From this investigation, the committee was able to determine the following facts.

At 2:43PM on Friday March 27, 2015, Master rated hang glider pilot, Advanced Instructor and Tandem Instructor Kelly Harrison perished with his 11 year old student during a tandem hang gliding flight. The flight originated as a platform launch, using a payout winch while circuit towing around Jean Dry Lakebed near Las Vegas, NV. The counter clockwise circuit tow around the lake bed was a typical operation for pilots in the area. Winds were light on the ground (<5MPH), with recorded weather data indicating winds from the NE at 9-12 MPH during the hours around the tow operations. (See Figure 1: Location overview.)

They were flying a Wills Wing Falcon I 225. The glider had eight inch diameter pneumatic wheels mounted on a short axle extension off the base tube - outside the control frame.

The payout winch was a typical hydraulic pressure controlled payout winch system mounted on a trailer with a remotely positioned pressure gauge/control valve/pressure release lever that was in the cab of the tow vehicle. The truck driver served both as the driver and winch operator, with control over the tow pressure control mechanism from inside the cab of the tow vehicle. There was no secondary spotter.

A typical two loop / four strand weak link for tandem surface tow operations was properly installed and positioned between the tow bridle and the tow line. The tandem instructor assembled the two string release and then adjusted it twice just prior to launch, but did not test the release before the flight.

Several times during the flight, the tandem instructor was observed making radio communications to the tow vehicle operator through a hand held radio (mounted on his right shoulder strap) that had been radio checked just prior to the flight.

The flight lasted four minutes and seven seconds. During the initial approximate three minutes of the crosswind/upwind leg of the circuit tow, the pilot climbed to 670 feet AGL at between 250-600 fpm climb rates (see Figure 2: Annotated flight instrument data plot).

The tow vehicle then began turning for the downwind leg of the tow as the glider continued flying upwind. During this one minute part of the tow the glider descended to 390 feet AGL at between 0-530 fpm sink rate and the tandem instructor flew to the right of the tow vehicle track as slack developed on the tow line trailing to the left of the glider's flight path by as much as what appeared to be 120 degrees (see Figure 3: Glider and estimated tow vehicle tracks).

The flight ended with a nine second lockout and impact with the ground. The lockout developed after slack quickly came out of the tow line and the bridle came into contact with the glider's control frame. The glider was at 390 feet AGL with the towline appearing to angle approximately 50 degrees left of the glider's flight path. The tow bridal first contacted the outside edge of the wheel adjacent to the left corner bracket. The glider quickly transitioned into a fully developed lockout as the tow line force increased against the control frame (see Figure 4: Glider descent side view).

The tandem instructor initially made two unsuccessful attempts to push the bridle off the wheel.

The tandem instructor next attempted to release from the tow line by pulling on the lanyard connected to the release pin of a typical two string surface tow release system. The tandem instructor pulled twice with one hand without success.

During his initial release attempts the bridle slipped off and over the outboard side of the wheel to become wrapped around the short extension axle between the wheel and the left corner bracket. The pin of the release mechanism started in a position pressed against the rubber of the pneumatic wheel and after the bridle wrapped around the axle, ended up on the tow vehicle side of the glider's tow line.

On failing to release with his initial one handed attempts, the tandem instructor then grabbed the lanyard with two hands and pulled twice with both hands. But the release did not activate and they impacted the ground.

The first indication of the lockout to the tow vehicle operator was seeing the glider impact the ground.

Post-accident inspection of the release showed the release pin still in place. A temporary repair was in place on the bridle's release pin lanyard arrangement. The release pin was prevented from being retracted by that temporary repair which routed the release pin lanyard in a fashion requiring exceptional force to affect a release. Inspectors on the ground were able to activate the release following the accident only by the application of exceptional force.

Although the tandem instructor had a hook knife in a sheath on the right downtube next to the flight instrument, no effort was made to obtain the knife. It did not appear that the tandem instructor was in an attitude where it would have been possible for him to extract the knife from its sheath and get to a position to cut the tow line bridle once the lockout fully developed.

Although the tandem instructor had a parachute, no effort was made to throw the chute; it appeared that the instructor's focus during the lockout was exclusively on activating the release.

This accident demonstrates a "perfect storm" of multiple factors where the elimination of any one or two of them might have prevented the fatal result. Although tandem hang gliding fatalities are exceptionally rare, the rarity of such events should not give you any comfort. Instead, you should review your own tandem and towing operational practices to see where you can take steps to decrease the inherent risks.

You are encouraged to re-read the excellent article by Mike Meier, "Why Can't We Get a Handle On This Safety Thing?" (http://www.willswing.com/why-cant-we-get-a-handle-on-this-safety-thing/). Although published in 1998, the risk mitigation analyses and approaches in the article are timeless and still applicable. Additionally, the technical information in "Towing Aloft" by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden is an excellent and complete reference on towing equipment and procedures.

The USHPA Safety & Training, Towing and Tandem Committees are working together on an operations advisory bulletin regarding tandem and towing operations to assist you in reducing your risk. Recommendations for reduction of risk in tandem/towing operations will likely include:

- Recommendation that payout winch tow operations utilize knowledgeable and trained spotters capable of observing the entire flight and releasing tow tension by both dropping system drag and severing the tow line;

- Recommendation that before each flight, the Tandem Instructor perform a demonstration of the activation of the primary and secondary release systems immediately prior to every flight both as a teaching moment for the student pilot and test of the release system;

- Recommendation that wheels not be mounted outside the control frame;

- Reminder of the low cost and easy reduction of risk through an early termination of a tow as compared to the potential high cost and inherent risk of continuing a "non-perfect" tow;

- Reminder of your ability to reduce the inherent risk by being ready, proficient and able to get through all of the sequential emergency lockout procedures - "release, cut, throw parachute" -within the time/altitude available.

In response to this incident, your thoughts and ideas are actively solicited as we use the lessons learned to develop the operations advisory bulletin to help our other pilots and students avoid similar fates.

Rich Hass
President

Martin Palmaz
Executive Director
Hey Rich, Martin...

Ya think the burden of all these tandem issues and the distraction of all the tandem instruction the tandem instructor was doing were significant factors in this tandem instructional flight?
Several times during the flight, the tandem instructor was observed making radio communications to the tow vehicle operator through a hand held radio (mounted on his right shoulder strap) that had been radio checked just prior to the flight.
How many times during the flight was the tandem instructor observed actually doing any actual tandem instruction? What were some of the skills, procedures, principles the tandem instructor was covering?

Did the tandem instructor:

- explain the purposes of the typical two loop / four strand weak link for tandem surface tow operations that was properly installed and positioned between the tow bridle and the towline?

- say anything about the razor-sharp cutting tool used to slash through his lines in an instant for when the tandem instructor's tandem release failed - as all mechanical things do?

- tell the tandem student anything about how the parachute is brought into play when the tandem glider's going down and nothing else is working?

I'm just not really seeing how and why any tandem or tandem instructional issues are relevant here. Seems I get more and better tandem instruction than Arys did every time I take an airline hop. Seatbelt operation, oxygen mask, crash position, nearest emergency exit, door removal, using my seat cushion as a flotation device... And I'm not even paying any extra for that and $139 tends to get me a lot farther and higher than a lap or so around a two mile long lakebed. Probably also have a better chance of getting my hands on the controls.
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Tad Eareckson
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Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32673
This is terrible
Tim Dyer - 2015/03/28 23:13:01 UTC
Las Vegas

he turned the truck and stopped.
A statement that this semiliterate douchebag pulls out of his ass and presents as fact.

Here's what we have at this point:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/2-dead-hang-gliding-accident-near-jean
2 dead in hang-gliding accident near Jean | Las Vegas Review-Journal
2 dead in hang-gliding accident near Jean

2015/03/27 15:37 PDT - Posted
2015/03/27 21:24 PDT - Updated

Kimber Laux
klaux@reviewjournal.com
Ricardo Torres
rtorres@reviewjournal.com
Las Vegas Review-Journal

A hang-gliding instructor and his 12-year-old student died Friday afternoon after a crash on a dry lake bed near Jean, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Las Vegas police and Nevada Highway Patrol troopers responded at 2:50 p.m. to the lake bed near Sloan Road and Interstate 15, where witnesses reported a 12-year-old boy had been injured after some type of crash, said NHP trooper Loy Hixson.

A family from out of state had scheduled a tour with a company that tethers hang gliders to the back of a truck to get them in the air, Metro Capt. Peter Boffelli said Friday evening. He didn't name the company.

The 12-year-old boy was the most excited in the group, so he went first, Boffelli said, adding that the investigation was still in its preliminary stage.

The pair of hang gliders were in the air when the truck pulling the glider turned around abruptly, police said. The driver of the truck thought the tether had been released, as is usually done by the person in the glider.

The glider came crashing down because the tether had not been released, Boffelli said.

The adult instructor, who was only described by Boffelli as a male, died at the scene.

The family of the boy loaded him into a truck and were on their way to a hospital in Las Vegas when they saw a Highway Patrol vehicle on the side of the road, about 10 miles away from the crash, and stopped.

NHP troopers attempted CPR and contacted Metro and the Clark County Fire Department, but the boy died in the truck, Trooper Loy Hixson said.

The two scenes in the accident investigation are in rural areas roughly 20 to 30 miles south of Las Vegas.

Authorities did not give the name or age of the hang-gliding instructor. His body was still in the hang glider at the scene of the wreck about 7 p.m. while Metro and the Federal Aviation Administration investigated.

It was too early into the investigation Friday evening to determine if the accident was due to a mechanical or operational issue, Boffelli said.

Stanley Oloff, an elderly Pahrump man using a motorized scooter, was waiting near the area where the boy died. He was trying to talk to his family, which he said was involved in the crash, and learn details of what had happened.

Oloff said the family was visiting Las Vegas, as they do every summer, from Farmington, N.M.
The truck pulling the glider turned around abruptly. That's indisputable and undisputed. And there was never - and to this day never has been - further, additional, revised information released by the police investigators.

No problem with THIS:
Jean Dry Lakebed Accident Report and Analysis - 2015/05/11

The first indication of the lockout to the tow vehicle operator was seeing the glider impact the ground.
statement either.

The only reference we have to the truck stopping is when the family of the boy saw a Highway Patrol vehicle on the side of the road about ten miles away from the crash.

And that was Local Boy's sole contribution in the discussions on this one.

And notice that Mark G. Forbes, u$hPa's official damage control guy and lead privileged information decimator, never bothers to make a statement on this issue.

Looking at the track log:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8819/18267685796_64156e9c91_o.png
Image

It's possible that the truck DID slow or stop a couple seconds prior to impact. Would've made ZERO difference with regard to survivability but it would be extremely useful in terms of further debunking the grotesque lie u$hPa's perpetrating that this was a normal flight plan turn to downwind for continuing the circuit tow - rather than having gone into rewind mode commencing with the abrupt turn.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32672
????
Dave Pendzick - 2015/03/28 16:00:58 UTC
Oregon

One news reports states that it was a powered hang gliding accident. I dont think this is an accurate statement given the whole truck towing scenario.
One news "reports" which you "dont" bother to quote, cite, or link to.

Bullshit. You saw that Arys' great grandfather:

26-14605
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7669/16637296273_42ec5cd082_o.png
Image

was "using a motorized scooter" and that became a news report stating that it was a powered hang gliding accident.

This, you people of varying ages may recall, is the same asshole who believes that this:

07-03019
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8737/16790136379_c1c17b2f86_o.png
Image

is strong evidence of in-flight structural failure - Tad-O-Link Syndrome - as a good "expanation" for the glider coming down in a nose down attitude.

Pity that a third grade level reading comprehension skill isn't a prerequisite for both a Hang One rating and glider forum posting privileges.
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Tad Eareckson
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Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

Jean Dry Lakebed Accident Report and Analysis - 2015/05/11

The flight ended with a nine second lockout and impact with the ground.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8819/18267685796_64156e9c91_o.png
Image
That is NOT a track log of a lockout. That's a track log of a glider getting dragged out of the sky by a rope tied to its ear.

http://www.kitestrings.org/post7784.html#p7784

Wills Wing gliders have not been designed to be motorized, tethered, or towed - despite the fact that their tandem gliders are used pretty much exclusively for tandem thrill rides and tandem thrill rides are almost exclusively towed.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7597/16975005972_c450d2cdda_o.png
Image

And Wills Wing produced and sold those extended wheels assemblies like the one here that's about to be the factor which puts the Wills Wing Falcon 1 225 into a vertical dive and kills both of the people in the photo fourteen and a half weeks ago.

They WILL sell parachutes - quite likely the one the TANDEM INSTRUCTOR...
Although the tandem instructor had a parachute, no effort was made to throw the chute; it appeared that the instructor's focus during the lockout was exclusively on activating the release.
...was too FOCUSED on getting his release to work to think about - but they WON'T build in, sell, recommend a release to use with their gliders which have not been designed to be motorized, tethered, or towed. Just always use an appropriate weak link with a finished length of 1.5 inches or less - you'll be just fine.

Go to Wills Wings' website and find the advisory about towing - 'specially step and circuit - with that wheels kit. And bear in mind the 1991/06/09 Harold Austin tow fatality while you're looking. Also bear in mind while you're looking that tandem gliders are pretty much exclusively wheel landed.
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Tad Eareckson
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Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

http://www.facebook.com/groups/1547390368864388/
Las Vegas Hang Gliding

Image
Kelly Harrison - 2015/01/25

I've got everything now up and running for the Las Vegas Hang Gliding school. Today is a free day on the Dry Lake for people to take a ride on our "Flying Simulator" which in some ways is just as exciting (if not more so) compared to flying the glider untethered.

I had it out last Thurs with a couple of prospective pilots (dealers) and the system was working flawlessly. We had a bit of wind so as the tow rig pulled the "Flying Simulator" around the Dry Lake, on the downwind leg we had the glider flying (and the truck pulling it) at close to 50mph. Good fun until the (new) driver took a sharp turn to avoid a rough spot in the lake which almost tossed me out of the tow rig since I'm standing back there to keep a close eye the student flying. But it did give me confidence that I was wearing a full face helmet for a reason. But the helmet didn't provide much protection when one of the metal storage doors (in the tow rig) snapped open and made a 4" opening in my calf.

I suppose the dangers associated with getting to and from the hang gliding site, and just being a spectator around the flying shouldn't be overlooked.
Kelly Harrison - 2015/02/17

Looking for a person with days off that would be interested in being a driver assisting with our tow operation. Would trade driving duties for hang gliding lessons for someone not already a pilot. Also have a room for rent (or trade) in a beautiful SW (Mountains Edge) home. As things get busier the driving could turn into a paid position...
No qualifications whatsoever needed 'cause in u$hPa lawyer based hang gliding...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32681
Tandem crash in LV (speculation thread)
Mark G. Forbes - 2015/04/01 03:46:29 UTC

Among ourselves, we agree (via the waiver) that we understand we're engaged in a risky sport that can cause serious injury or death. We each agree that we are personally and individually responsible for our own safety. If we have an accident and get hurt, we agree in advance that it is solely our own fault, no matter what the circumstances might be. We sign at the bottom saying that we fully understand these things, that we accept them, and that we know we are giving up the right to sue anybody if an accident happens.

Those are fundamental tenets of our sport. We are all individually responsible for ourselves and our safety. We need to see and avoid all other pilots, avoid crashing into people or property and use good judgment when flying. If someone doesn't agree with those principles, then they don't need to be involved in our sport.
...it's physically impossible for anyone at the upwind end of a rope to have any bearing on any aspect of the safety of the glider.
Manned Kiting
The Basic Handbook of Tow Launched Hang Gliding
Daniel F. Poynter
1974

"A bad flyer won't hurt a pin man but a bad pin man can kill a flyer." - Bill Bennett
Quite the opposite when we're dealing with aerotowing, in fact. Solo gliders need to use illegally light weak links to eliminate any possible danger to the tug pilot. (A tandem glider is no threat whatsoever to the tug so it can use a weak link which, while also illegally light, is illegally heavier than the tug's.)

Got a problem with reality?
"Never take your hands off the bar." - Tom Peghiny
"The greatest dangers are a rope break or a premature release." - Richard Johnson
Just have Dennis Pagen and Matt Taber write some new official manuals, edit the SOPs as necessary, ban all the doomsayers from all the flying sites and mainstream forums, appoint Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney as the Pilot In Command of everybody's glider, decimate all the privileged information after people suffer fatal injuries.
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Tad Eareckson
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Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

Jean Dry Lakebed Accident Report and Analysis - 2015/05/11

A typical two loop / four strand weak link for tandem surface tow operations was properly installed and positioned between the tow bridle and the tow line.
...
Additionally, the technical information in "Towing Aloft" by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden is an excellent and complete reference on towing equipment and procedures.
OK, let's check that out...
For surface based towing, there is a debate on the recommended breaking strength for weak links. Since almost all modern surface based towing (static line, payout winch, and stationary winch) are tension controlled systems, the weak link selection is partially dependent upon the towline tensions used. A weak link that breaks between 100 to 120% of the total flying system weight is generally recommended. This tends to be in the range of 250 to 300 pounds and for tandem flying approximately 400 pounds.
So if the tandem instructor was flying with an eleven year old student pilot wouldn't the typical two loop / four strand weak link used for tandem surface tow operations properly installed and positioned between the tow bridle and the towline wouldn't that have been a bit problematic? Wouldn't the typical two loop / four strand weak link used for tandem surface tow operations properly installed and positioned between the tow bridle and the towline be geared for a flight with a student maybe three times Arys' weight?

The Falcon 1 225 has a certified hook-in weight range of 185 to 440 pounds. Would it be fair to say they were hooking in at 300?

The excellent book, Towing Aloft, by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden says:
Weak links are not universal, due to the great variation in pilot's weight.
So how come you're telling us pretty much the opposite? That they ARE pretty much universal for ALL tandem gliders regardless of how much they have hooked into them?

You like this tandem paragliding student's typical one-size-fits-all helmet?

005-010207
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7723/16582999324_7b6bf71c74_o.png
Image

You permanently revoked Brad's tandem ticket for that flight so I'm guessing not.

Wouldn't the use of a typical tandem weak link greatly reduce the effectiveness of the lockout protection afforded that flight? And they died as a consequence of a lockout, right?

Seems to me like that crash should've ended any debate on the recommended breaking strength for weak links for surface based towing. So are you gonna be putting out an advisory any time soon?

Also...

1-1916
http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5788/23461251751_e98b9c7500_o.png
Image

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32681
Tandem crash in LV (speculation thread)
Dave Pendzick - 2015/03/30 20:33:35 UTC

Something apeared overstressed. The picture of the wreckage showed the wings were folded in such a manor that would indicate structural failure from positive G load, which in that instance, would expain the glider coming down in a nose down attitude.
We have pretty strong evidence of indicate structural failure from positive G load, which in that instance, would explain the glider coming down in a nose down attitude. I don't think there's ANY QUESTION that a Tad-O-Link was a major factor in this tragedy - people trading off safety for the sake of convenience.

It just astounds me that you're just telling us that:
A typical two loop / four strand weak link for tandem surface tow operations was properly installed and positioned between the tow bridle and the tow line.
and saying NOTHING about the obvious and horrific implications. What's this sport come to? Trisa... Got anything for us?
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Tad Eareckson
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Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?
Jim Rooney - 2011/08/31 09:25:57 UTC

You've not heard about strong-link incidents.
Uh, yeah... cuz we don't let you use them.
Got you your strong-link incident, Jim.

Lessee...
- Most important crash in the history of hang gliding - double fatal.
- Professional Pilot In Command was the perpetrator and one of the victims.
- Cute little person of a varying age was the student victim.
- Totally missed by:
-- Bobby Bailey - who's a fucking genius when it comes to this shit
-- Davis Straub - who's been at an around all this plenty long enough to understand what's what and who's who
-- Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney - God's Special Little Gift To Aviation
-- Mitch Shipley - crack accident investigation team leader
-- Jim Gaar - highly respected tug pilot and Privileged Information Decimator
-- Dennis Pagen - author of the excellent book, Towing Aloft, by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden
-- Dr. Trisa Tilletti - author of the most detailed article on expectations for fishing line in sport aviation ever written
- Caught by T** at K*** S******
-- convicted paedophile
-- horrible lack of experience
-- author of Tad's lunacy
-- inventor of the:
--- Tad-O-Link
--- straight pin release which is homemade and has virtually no track record
--- lotsa funky shit
-- obnoxious blowhard who's gotten himself banned from every flying site that he used to visit
-- AND a CONVICTED PAEDOPHILE - no, wait, we did that one already

The irony is pretty mind boggling, isn't it?

So now we've finally heard what you've been telling us all along. Can we go back to Rooney Links now? Or are we totally fucked because the accepted standards and practices have changed?
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Tad Eareckson
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Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skysailingtowing/message/8551
From a ushpa BOD member
Gregg Ludwig - 2015/10/19 18:18:55 UTC

The USHPA semi-annual board meeting was in Austin this week. It turns out that this and other towing issues were already on the agenda (due in part to recent HG surface towing fatalities).

Summary:

(1) Originally, Tow Tech was a PG-only rating (which explains why the USHPA office once denied a Tow Tech appointment for a HG pilot that I'd submitted).

(2) At some point more recently, that policy was informally changed, in part because the Standard Operating Procedures for towing stuff at USHPA were never properly written, and the rules didn't explicitly state that a Tow Tech had to be a PG pilot. (For that matter, the rules didn't even require that the Tow Tech be a USHPA member. I feel certain that never actually happened because it seems so obvious, but it does indicate how inadequate the towing regs were.)

(3) None of the above matters anymore because a lot is changing. As of the board vote yesterday...
(a) There are now PG Tow Techs and HG Tow Techs, and you cannot hold a Tow Tech rating for an aircraft for which you do not also hold at least a P2/H2. (I don't know what the process is going to be for any HG pilots that currently have Tow Tech ratings - they may be revoked soonish or maybe just not renewed. If you're in this situation, contact USHPA.)

(b) An appropriate Tow Tech rating is mandatory for all student training and for tandems because USHPA's insurance touches those. During teaching and tandems, it's also required that there be eyes on the pilot at all times and be able to cut the rope -- so, one person can't drive and run a tow rig at the same time anymore. The Tech can train and use someone to help accomplish all of these best practice, however, so there's some leeway. See the upcoming SOP update for the specifics if you're teaching, doing tandems, or towing tandems.

(c) As before, whatever consenting adults want to do on their own (i.e. not teaching, not tandem, no site insurance, nothing to do with USHPA's insurance) is up to them. (Not following the above best practices and having everyone is properly trained and rated may be asking for trouble, however.)

(d) Insurance for towing (surface towing and aerotowing) is a pending probability for next year. Assuming it does come, consenting adults won't be able to do what they like you'll have to stick to the best practices rules for insurance to cover the operation.

(e) Formal towing instruction materials, training requirements, and written/observed proficiency testing for both PG and (separately for) HG is coming. (No more inadequate Tow Tech training.) It will be a prerequisite for the aforementioned insurance and probably take a year to roll out.

Riss Estes
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32673
This is terrible
Dave Pendzick - 2015/03/30 17:42:41 UTC

This is not going to end well for us...
Got that right, motherfucker.
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Tad Eareckson
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Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32681
Tandem crash in LV (speculation thread)
Mark G. Forbes - 2015/04/01 03:46:29 UTC

Among ourselves, we agree (via the waiver) that we understand we're engaged in a risky sport that can cause serious injury or death. We each agree that we are personally and individually responsible for our own safety. If we have an accident and get hurt, we agree in advance that it is solely our own fault, no matter what the circumstances might be. We sign at the bottom saying that we fully understand these things, that we accept them, and that we know we are giving up the right to sue anybody if an accident happens.

Those are fundamental tenets of our sport. We are all individually responsible for ourselves and our safety. We need to see and avoid all other pilots, avoid crashing into people or property and use good judgment when flying. If someone doesn't agree with those principles, then they don't need to be involved in our sport.
If we have an accident and get hurt, we agree in advance that it is solely our own fault, no matter what the circumstances might be.
Not anymore, apparently.
We sign at the bottom saying that we fully understand these things, that we accept them, and that we know we are giving up the right to sue anybody if an accident happens.
Well what if...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=27736
Increase in our USHpA dues
Mark G. Forbes - 2012/12/20 06:21:33 UTC

There are also numerous legal issues associated with accident reports, which we're still wrestling with. It's a trade-off between informing our members so they can avoid those kinds of accidents in the future, and exposing ourselves to even more lawsuits by giving plaintiff's attorneys more ammunition to shoot at us.

Imagine a report that concludes, "If we'd had a procedure "x" in place, then it would have probably prevented this accident. And we're going to put that procedure in place at the next BOD meeting." Good info, and what we want to be able to convey. But what comes out at trial is, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, my client suffered injury because USHPA knew or should have known that a safety procedure was not in place, and was therefore negligent and at fault." We're constantly walking this line between full disclosure and handing out nooses at the hangmen's convention.
...u$hPa knew or should have known that safety procedure was not in place, and because of that incompetence, negligence, apathy, callous disregard for the safety of participants and the general public an eleven year old person of a varying age got fatally slammed into a lakebed along with his "tandem instructor" ( ;) ). What were some of the totally unforeseeable contributing factors on that one that you didn't have previously clearly documented in your fatality reports and recommendations in your magazine archives?
Those are fundamental tenets of our sport.
Whoa! This is so confusing now. Maybe you should appoint a blue ribbon panel to revise the fundamental tenets of our sport. At least a couple of asterisks here and there.
We are all individually responsible for ourselves and our safety.
Then I must be seriously misunderstanding the report that just got leaked out of Austin. It seems to be implying that people on the upwind end of the rope controlling the glider's degree and alignment of thrust can have some bearing on the glider's safety and thus need to be better qualified than some guy you've arranged to meet in the parking lot.
We need to see and avoid all other pilots...
I pretty much do that as a general matter of course anyway. The vast majority of them are total assholes I'd want absolutely nothing to do with under any circumstances whatsoever.
...avoid crashing into people or property and use good judgment when flying.
Exactly. So then why does someone whose got enough qualifications oozing outta his ass to have a tandem instructor designation need to have a qualified individual on the other end of the rope? And why does that person need to be qualified as hang glider pilot just to tow a hang glider?

And how come we're going nuts with all these driver specific regulations? I just reviewed the decimated information released on this Jean Lake crash...

http://www.kitestrings.org/post7910.html#p7910

...and there's not a word suggesting that the driver did the least thing wrong. Not a word about his qualifications either - can't tell whether he was a Hang Five who'd been pulling platform tows every weekend for the past thirty years or some guy Kelly arranged with the night before to meet in the parking lot.
If someone doesn't agree with those principles, then they don't need to be involved in our sport.
So when can we be expecting your resignation?
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Tad Eareckson
Posts: 9161
Joined: 2010/11/25 03:48:55 UTC

Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

Riss Estes - 2015/10/18

(a) There are now PG Tow Techs and HG Tow Techs, and you cannot hold a Tow Tech rating for an aircraft for which you do not also hold at least a P2/H2. (I don't know what the process is going to be for any HG pilots that currently have Tow Tech ratings - they may be revoked soonish or maybe just not renewed. If you're in this situation, contact USHPA.)
How 'bout aero? Nobody in his right fucking mind is suggesting that aero is ten percent as safe as platform and a General Aviation pilot qualified under FAA regs who's never been within 250 of a hang glider is totally good to go for student training and tandem pulls. Isn't that disproportionate and backwards?

And historically a lot of mostly significant other females who've never clipped into gliders have driven platform with zero complaint from anybody. So why do you need a rating that says you've perfected your flare timing to be able to recognize up/down/left/right behind you and react appropriately?
(b) An appropriate Tow Tech rating is mandatory for all student training and for tandems because USHPA's insurance touches those. During teaching and tandems, it's also required that there be eyes on the pilot at all times and be able to cut the rope -- so, one person can't drive and run a tow rig at the same time anymore.
Really? A reflection isn't good enough? Aero - which, again, is way the hell more dangerous than platform - has never in its entire history used a spotter. One hundred percent of them use mirrors and there's never been a single reported skinned knee resulting from a compromise of a tug driver not being able to see what was going on behind him.

I flew behind Chad Elchin a lot in the early years of Ridgely and he was blind as a fuckin' bat. Had a daytime only driver's license he felt extremely lucky to be able to keep when he moved into Maryland. And, still, just watching in a convex mirror he was always able to see the glider well enough to know exactly what was going on with it and exactly how to respond. And they kept that info under wraps as well as they could and most people had no clue that he was as blind as a fuckin' bat until after his Dragonfly fell apart and his chute tangled.

And these guys are all flying their own planes while they're pulling us.

So again... What's the "thinking" behind making spotters mandatory for surface only?
The Tech can train and use someone to help accomplish all of these best practice, however, so there's some leeway.
Oh great. Fuckin' Hang Two Tow Tech is gonna meet the some guy in the parking lot, train him as a spotter, hand him the hook knife, and tell him to use it to fix whatever's going on back there. If I've gotta have TWO assholes on the front end of my string I want the LEAST assholey of them armed and looking backwards. There's just so much damage a driver with a constant tension payout winch can do to me.
See the upcoming SOP update for the specifics if you're teaching, doing tandems, or towing tandems.
Fuck you if you're doing or towing tandems. And if you're teaching you're doing a total shit job of it so fuck you too.
(c) As before, whatever consenting adults want to do on their own (i.e. not teaching, not tandem, no site insurance, nothing to do with USHPA's insurance) is up to them.
What? Is there some law that says that a twelve-year-old can't platform tow another twelve-year-old on a dry lakebed? If so, can you cite it? On 1982/08/23 I watched maybe twelve year old Doug Perry taking his little brother Yates tandem on a Javelin up for passes over the South Bowl. Scary to watch but he was doing great and they both ended up a lot better than Kelly and Arys. (Father George kept urging him to park it and I kept telling him to ease off 'cause the kid was doing as well as I could've.)
(Not following the above best practices and having everyone is properly trained and rated may be asking for trouble, however.)
Yeah? Maybe you could tell us exactly what the best practices are and properly trained and rated means. It's really hard to find any tow fatalities in which the best practices weren't being employed by really properly trained and rated individuals so I'm not all that sure about just how much any of that shit really helps.
(d) Insurance for towing (surface towing and aerotowing) is a pending probability for next year. Assuming it does come, consenting adults won't be able to do what they like you'll have to stick to the best practices rules for insurance to cover the operation.
Oh good. Tim Herr will have even MORE control over the sport.
(e) Formal towing instruction materials, training requirements, and written/observed proficiency testing for both PG and (separately for) HG is coming. (No more inadequate Tow Tech training.) It will be a prerequisite for the aforementioned insurance and probably take a year to roll out.
Who's gonna administer this stuff? Dr. Trisa Tilletti, Steve Exceptionally-Knowledgeable Wendt, Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney, Lauren Eminently-Qualified-Tandem-Pilot Tjaden, Dennis Excellent-Book Pagen, Matt Taber, Mitch Shipley?

http://www.kitestrings.org/post5735.html#p5735
Orion Price

Is it possible to remove Tad Eareckson's postulation from your server? He is a generally discounted crackpot whom doesn't advance much of anything.

He threatened to advise the FAA about our dangerous activities. After much discouragement from the USHPA, he still sent it in. His ill-lettered advice was unintelligible and disregarded by the FAA. His ASCII colored text is still found on your server. As a younger person trying to keep free flight alive, I request you stop publishing Eareckson's letters.

I hope you publish all factual and critical observations about our flight. I want to advance safer free flight. I don't want weirdos having an artificial pulpit.
Great job, younger person trying to keep free flight alive and wanting to advance safer free flight - 2015 has been a banner year for your progress. Care to look around a bit and see what's actually happening to "free" flight and who's actually doing it? Ain't Yours Truly and it ain't the FAA.
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Tad Eareckson
Posts: 9161
Joined: 2010/11/25 03:48:55 UTC

Re: 2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

Post by Tad Eareckson »

u$hPa - 2015/10/22

Fellow Pilots, Chapters, Instructors, and Schools,

Insurance is a critical element in support of free flight in North America, and a significant benefit that members expect from USHPA. To support our mission of ensuring the future of free flight, insurance is a top priority. Without it, site landowners would no longer be protected, members would no longer have protection from third party claims and therefore would face increased financial burden in the event of an accident, and all pilots would lose access to a significant number of our flying sites, including hallmark sites like Fort Funston, Yosemite and the Point of the Mountain.

We are in a difficult situation: we are being forced to evaluate new insurance options in order to protect the future of free flight, and this will impact our entire membership. We're writing this letter to share with you - our members - information about upcoming changes and how they are likely to affect you. We want you to understand what's happening, and the actions we are taking to navigate this complex situation.

Background
USHPA has experienced increased insurance premiums in recent years (200% in the last 5 years). Even more disturbing, in the last few months hang gliding and paragliding schools have been notified by the underwriters that they will not be able to renew their individual school policies. For many reasons we anticipate that at our upcoming renewal (March 2016) we will be facing, at best, major premium increases, and, at worst, an inability to renew our policy. We were first made aware of this possibility two months ago, and have devoted an enormous amount of time and resources into confirming the likelihood of this event and exploring possible solutions. Here are some principles that have guided our research:
First, USHPA must continue to have insurance that covers its pilots, chapters and flying sites for recreational flying, and must identify a sustainable insurance solution that will protect free flight for years to come.
Second, we must identify a solution that imposes the least financial burden on members possible.

Identified Solution
We've explored every option we can imagine, researched other action sports communities, explored other insurance carriers, and run analysis on our claims history and all of the complex analytics available to us. We've enlisted feedback and expertise from all across the industry. We know that losing insurance, and thus most of our flying sites, is unacceptable to our members. These are challenging, complex circumstances that require making bold and creative steps to protect our sport. In response, we've started the process of forming a self-insurance entity called a Risk Retention Group.

What is a Risk Retention Group?
A risk retention group (RRG) is an alternative risk transfer entity created by the federal Liability Risk Retention Act (LRRA). An RRG must be established as a liability insurance company under the laws of at least one state - its charter state or domicile. The policyholders of the RRG are also its owners. In our case, the owners of the RRG will be USHPA (who will purchase insurance from the RRG similar to its current insurance) and various hang gliding and paragliding schools (who will purchase commercial school insurance from the RRG). More info: Wikipedia page on Risk Retention Groups

How Will We Fund the RRG?
One unavoidable fact is that significant capital will be required in the short term to establish the RRG before our March 1st insurance policy renewal date. The vast majority of USHPA's assets will be pledged to the RRG to fund the initial investment. The Foundation for Free Flight (FFF) will make a major contribution; insured schools will also invest. We will solicit donations and investment capital from members who are able and willing to help. Within the next month or two, we need to raise a total of $2 million to fund the RRG. We believe that between USHPA, the FFF, the schools, and member donors we can achieve this goal.

Creating the RRG will result in increased expenses for USHPA, and will force us to increase dues in order to continue obtaining the insurance that members and free flight rely on. We do believe this option imposes the least financial burden on our members. Here are the proposed dues that would be effective starting January 1, 2016:
Pilot membership: $150
Rogallo membership: $350
30-day membership: $8
Even with these proposed increases, dues would still be comparable to or less than other international free flight organizations. Refer to chart below.

The initial capitalization is the first challenging aspect to obtaining insurance through an RRG. From the beginning, the RRG must be self-sufficient; the insurance regulators will require it to be profitable. The profits of the RRG ultimately return to its owners: USHPA and the flight schools that purchase the insurance. It is our hope that as loss ratios improve, premiums will decline and we'll be able to hold the line or reduce dues over time. If we are able to reduce dues while still ensuring the future of free flight, it is our commitment to do so. We will be revisiting this possibility annually.

Risk Management and You
If we continue to have accidents that injure third parties, damage their property, and generate claims, we'll exhaust the reserves and be forced to shut down both the RRG and USHPA. We hope it never comes to that - and with your help it won't. Risk management is every member's responsibility.

Each of us can have an impact through our individual actions, and also through our influence on others. We need to change our culture and celebrate incident-free flight. We need systems for identifying risk and modifying behaviors and practices to reduce the risks we all face when we fly. We need to tighten standards for site management plans, take a harder look at instructional practices, and enforce a zero-tolerance policy for violations of the rules, particularly with respect to tandem instructional flights. If we are able to improve our overall level of risk management and reduce accidents (and claims), the RRG could become financially strong enough to provide benefits back to the members.

Next Steps
Nobody WANTS to increase dues; in fact, USHPA has fought year after year to keep our dues among the lowest in the world. However, the board sees no other option to keep our association and our sport viable. The board will meet by conference call on Monday, November 2, 2015 to vote on the 2016 budget and to set the dues rates effective January 1, 2016. This letter is intended to give you some advance warning of what's coming, and let you know why it's happening. Normally the budget is approved at the October Board of Directors meeting, but has been delayed to provide time to gather feedback. However, it can not be delayed any further due to requirements related to forming the RRG.

If you have comments for the board's consideration before they vote on the proposed budget and potential allocation of assets to form the RRG, please send them to me at insurance@ushpa.aero and I will share them with the directors in advance of Monday's call. Alternatively, you can contact your Regional Director directly via the Board of Directors list (in the Members Only area).

Mark G. Forbes
USHPA Finance/Insurance/Risk Management Committee Chairman and Treasurer
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32673
This is terrible
Dave Pendzick - 2015/03/30 17:42:41 UTC

This is not going to end well for us...
You're getting EXACTLY what you deserve.
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