Return to the incident list: Incident List Collision with trees 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: Muse 25, DHV 1 Size: Paramotor Frame: DK Whisper, 65 lbs with

Incident Details

February 18, 2006 Location of the incident: , Type of Incident:

I was flying over a large grassy field that was surrounded by trees 20 to 40 feet tall. My parents were taking some pictures so I made several low passes near them in the middle of the field. After climbing to about 300 feet I decided to make one more low pass. They had then walked closer to the edge of the field where the car was. I was looking over my right shoulder as I made about three 360 turns to get lower. As I came out of the last turn I was heading over the trees instead over the field due to the distraction on the ground. While I had a 20 foot margin above those trees, I was heading toward a small hill with a large tree on top of it. By the time I realized I would not clear it, it was too late and I hit the top 3 feet of very small branches. The finger sized branches supported no weight so I dropped like a rock (35 feet as measured later), crashing through other small branches on the way down and landing on my right ankle and the cage. As I unstrapped the unit popped up 3 feet off the ground. The canopy and line tangling had definitely helped. Considering busted prop, bent cage, a few scratches, and a mild ankle sprain, I was extremely lucky. I had read once before in paragliding book about target fixation, which made no logical sense at the time. Upon going back to the site weeks later it was clear that if I had begun a gentle turn to the left or right as soon as it was evident I would have to climb over the tree, I could have cleared the trees right next to it which were 10 feet lower. In fact I do not remember seeing any other tree, i.e., target fixation, the human equivalent of the deer-in-the-headlights reaction. The time of coming out of the turn until impact was probably 4 to 6 seconds, not long, but long enough if I had immediately reacted to my initial concern. There is one more natural reaction that I have noticed in my young flying career: tensing up when coming too close to something, or even worse, lowering one’s hands (as if to catch yourself from falling). Note the difficulty of keeping your hands high as you go down a rollercoaster. Needless to say, with brakes in your hands it accomplishes the opposite effect desired. I do remember the climb rate being somewhat sluggish before impact, likely due to mild unconscious tensing and braking. Especially for novice pilots, it takes a conscious effort to relax in the face of impending danger, shoot the arms up, and give it full throttle. Lastly, almost every near miss that I have had was due to going too low for spectators’ benefit. Consider having spectators as an independent risk factor since your attention may not be on your immediate surroundings. Avoid putting yourself in situations where you have to climb out of a flight course in order to avoid clipping something. Fly as if you could have a motor out at any time, and always have a landing zone.

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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