Return to the incident list: Incident List Collision on Take-off PPG Type: Type of Injury:

Pilot Details

Age: 56 Weight: 190 Gender: Highest rating held at the time of the incident: Pilot experience level:

Gear Details

Wing Brand: Model: Muse DHV-1 Size: Paramotor Frame: HE-120 with

Incident Details

July 30, 2008 Location of the incident: , Type of Incident:

On a calm and beautiful evening, I had prepared for takeoff. I even had an audience of parents, kids and grandkids on two golf carts who had stopped by to watch this curiosity.

My large and level take-off field had just been mowed and there were a number of large round hay bales scattered around. I was set up to take off comfortably between two of them and brought the wing up overhead. When I was just about at liftoff, I felt like I was getting too close to one of the bales but could not step aside in time and my cage brushed the side of it. This ended the flight as my brand new prop was shattered and netting shredded.

Although there was no injury and an unwelcomed expense, a lesson can certainly be learned. Always leave yourself plenty of room to take off. Set up where you have a clear runway and do not need to go through extraordinary maneuvers to insure a safe take-off. I easily could have avoided this incident by taking greater care in my preparations. As I’m sure most of you have experienced, I was too anxious to get into the air, and compromised safety for convenience.

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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