Return to the incident list: Incident List Harness disconnected from J-Bar on launch PPG Type: Type of Injury:
Pilot Details
Age: Weight: 140 Gender: Highest rating held at the time of the incident: Pilot experience level:
Gear Details
Wing Brand: Model: Silex Size: Paramotor Frame: AVM frame with Solo210 motor with
Incident Details
November 25, 2008 Location of the incident: , Type of Incident:
Fourth flight of the day at a fly-in weekends second day. Full equipment check in the morning before first flight; perfunctory checks of main items after. Normal run-up, launch run, and take-off into light winds. About 15 seconds after lift-off and at about 75-100 feet AGL, the right connector pin that linked the harness to the J-bar released causing the J-bar to rise perhaps 4-6 inches at the front. The sudden change in position and increased pull on the right-side steering toggle caused pilot to lose that toggle. In its deformed configuration, the wing turned 90 degrees left before the pilot had managed to sit high & reach high enough to regain the right toggle and start countering the wing’s tendency to turn left. Reducing power, the pilot steered the wing in for a 90 degree cross-wind landing between a large carnival tent and a corn-field without incident. Post-landing inspection revealed that the locking pin was absent but no other material defects were found. The locking screw must have partially unscrewed, escaped notice, and with the vibrations of several flights, finally released. Replacing the pin was sufficient to get back in the air a few minutes later. This pin was one of 6 attachment points of the harness to the airframe, but one of 4 load-bearing suspension points of the whole passanger-airframe combo under the wing via the J-bars.
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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