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Pilot Details

Age: 32 Weight: 200 Gender: Highest rating held at the time of the incident: Pilot experience level:

Gear Details

Wing Brand: Model: Apco Sentra Size: Paramotor Frame: FB 122 with

Incident Details

January 1, 2006 Location of the incident: , Type of Incident:

During the Parastars convention, it was thought that we would have a dress rehearsal for a record attempt at the most pilots in the air at once. There were several local pilots and instructors on hand to supervise the event. During the pilot briefing, I noticed that there was some severe weather on the horizon directly up wind of the field. I remarked to a friend that we should be concerned about this impending weather. However, the local instructor mentioned that we should keep our eyes on this weather during the event, but did not seem concerned. With that in mind, I set out to participate in the rehearsal. After approximately 10 minutes, there were a large number of pilots in the air when a gust front hit us. Several pilots mentioned that they were going backwards against the wind. The organizers then advised that all pilots should land if they felt that it was not safe to continue. I, as well as four other pilots, were very far down wind and could not penetrate. There was water and power lines behind us and the options for landing were getting slimmer by the minute. We all descended and landed as soon as we could. I came down very hard and scratched up my arms and legs. Another pilot descended to about 5 feet and was then picked up only to be dropped. He damaged his prop. One other pilot fell and broke his cage. The lesson to be learned here is that no matter who or what expertise is on hand to assure you that everything is OK, it is ultimately the pilot’s decision whether or not to fly. I knew that the weather up wind did not look good, but instead of sitting it out, I trusted the judgement of another local pilot.

Flight Window: Wind Speed: Type: Phase of Flight: Type of Injury: Collateral Damage: Analysis of the incident (additional input by the incident investigation team): Photos (if available):

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