Return to the incident list: Incident List Pilot unable to pull out of Spiral PPG Type: Type of Injury:

Pilot Details

Age: 56 Weight: 265 Gender: Highest rating held at the time of the incident: Pilot experience level:

Gear Details

Wing Brand: Model: MacPara Velvet Size: Paramotor Frame: Fresh Breeze Monster with

Incident Details

September 13, 2010 Location of the incident: , Type of Incident:

Pilot entered spiral dive on a wing he had not flown for several months. He flies regulary, but does spirals routinely out over water with two other wings. The pilot pulled out his third wing that he had previously noted he had almost locked in on a spiral.

Pilot induced a spiral far offshore (>1000′) and began a hard deep spiral. It is unknown if he blacked out from the G’s he was pulling or if he did not have the strength to force the wing to exit the spiral. On previous occasions, he had twice broken a buckle supporting the front corner of his harness that further induced a weight shift in a spiral that caused difficulty in exiting. Another time, the G’s resulted in him breaking the board in his seat of his harness.

Another pilot and his wife witnessed the incident. The pilot bystander attempting to save the pilot had to traverse 1000′ of waist deep water to reach him before commencing CPR. Hospital staff indicated the pilot died from massive trauma and not from drowning.

Pilot had neither a reserve or an Agama. R.I.P. my dear friend.

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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