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Pilot Details

Age: 0 Weight: 150 Gender: Highest rating held at the time of the incident: Pilot experience level:

Gear Details

Wing Brand: Model: Mac-Para Muse size 25 Size: Paramotor Frame: Sky Cruiser w/Top 80 with

Incident Details

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

It was a pretty good morning for flying or so I thought. When I got to the field the wind was 3-5 mph on the ground and variable from the south to southwest. This field is atop a ridge so wind is often stronger that down in the city where I life. Still I have flown in these condition from this field before and did not see any concerns regarding the wind. I pulled the wing up into the wind, and then pulled left brake to align with the field and had a normal uneventful take off.

Immediately after takeoff however, the wing began to go to the left even though I was giving right brake. At this time I thought I was getting a wind gust from the west since this happens sometimes from this field once you get above treetop level. My wing continued to be all over the place which required very active hands-on flying. I was able to gain altitude, although still tracking left, turn around and land. However, I was unable to penetrate and landed a ways from my van. I was somewhat puzzled because the wind certainly did not seem that bad on the ground and the treetops did not indicate that much wind aloft.

As I was unhooking from my harness, I looked down and saw that the right hand extender bar on my SkyCruiser was turned inward. At first I thought that perhaps the clips holding it in place had come out but when I looked I saw the the welded fitting that the bar goes into was detached from the frame and was on the extender bar. This was the rear metal ring that is welded to the top of the frame which the extender bar goes into – the one where the clip snaps in.

I believe that this is what caused my “exciting” few minutes of flight. This bar was free to turn to the right or left which was causing steering inputs to the wing. I do not think it slip backwards while flying because there were no marks on the muffler and it was still up close to its original position. I also do not know if it could have slid backwards because of the pressure on it while flying.

When I got home, I took the SC apart and checked the left side of the frame. This same piece on the left side was loose and was also ready to give way. I have had no hard landings or dropped the machine or impacted the frame in any other way. I am not sure if this is just a stress thing or what, but if you own an older generation SC frame (the larger framed aluminum one), please check and make sure yours is okay. I did not see any cracks on the frame before this flight.

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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