Return to the incident list: Incident List Broken Drive Belt PPG Type: Type of Injury:

Pilot Details

Age: 49 Weight: 145 Gender: Highest rating held at the time of the incident: Pilot experience level:

Gear Details

Wing Brand: Model: Silex small Size: Paramotor Frame: Fresh Breeze 210 with

Incident Details

May 3, 2010 Location of the incident: , Type of Incident:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-CdAg8L49c I had been flying around the area for about 45 minutes and decided to make a low pass over the takeoff field while filming with my camera. I was descending downwind and still was above the treeline as I approached the end of the field. I applied power to start climbing and a bolt on the exhaust sheared and shredded the drive belt, which let the engine run free with no load on it. I dropped the camera and tried to kill the engine with the kill switch but it kept screaming. I disregarded the engine and switched my focus to the inevitable landing. Since I had just flown over the field(downwind), I made a gentle right hand turn 180 degrees and landed. I lost my balance on landing and went down on my knees. It took a few seconds to get out of my harness and reach the choke to kill the engine. Since I was filming at the time, I got the whole incident on video, although the camera is hanging by its tether after the belt broke. The video can be viewed on youtube at the link listed at the beginning of this narrative. There were two major factors that kept this incident from being a major problem. 1. I was fortunate that I was right over the field when the belt broke. 2. I had sufficient altitude to allow me to calmly evaluate the situation and react appropriately.

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):

Video (if available):
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