Return to the incident list: Incident List Body Contact with Spinning Prop PPG Type: Type of Injury:

Pilot Details

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

Gear Details

Wing Brand: Model: None Size: Paramotor Frame: Adventure / Solo with

Incident Details

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

The pilot is a very experienced pg pilot with no motor experience. He brought his used motor to a busy fly-in; it’s not clear if he intended to fly that day. After making motor adjustments he started the engine and started to run it up. He was holding the throttle in the same hand he was using to hold the motor, and the more he squeezed the throttle, the more the motor pushed against the throttle, which opened the throttle more, until he lost control and his head went through the cage. In the pilot’s own words:

“The thrust of the prop pushed against the throttle in my hand, catching me off guard. I realize after the fact that I should have switched the throttle to my free right hand while the unit was idling. Then I could have easily let up on the throttle or hit the kill switch.”

Injury was a nasty slice across the top of the head requiring 8 stitches and a small nick on one ear. It’s not clear if his head actually contacted the spinning prop or if the cage hit the prop and the injury was done by a flying fragment… in the end the cage was trashed along with the prop. The cage had apparently been bent prior to the accident and the inner plastic clips holding the cage together were missing, replaced by bungees. It seems likely that the bungees stretched, allowing the cage to pull out of the sockets on the motor frame, whereas the proper clips might have held it together better and prevented the accident.

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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