Return to the incident list: Incident List Tree impact after aggressive low altitude wingover PPG Type: Type of Injury:

Pilot Details

Age: 39 Weight: 265 Gender: Highest rating held at the time of the incident: Pilot experience level:

Gear Details

Wing Brand: Model: 25 or 26 meter MacPara Colorado, B class wing, DGAC rated Size: Paramotor Frame: Fly Products Trike, 30 lbs. Moster 185 Plus with

Incident Details

September 12, 2019 Location of the incident: , Type of Incident:

Pilot in question descended over power-lines into a soybean field, executing aggressive, scalloped wingovers. He continued to do this while flying around the soybean field at 35-50 ft. AGL. There where developed Oak trees througout the middle & bordering the field as a hedgerow on one side. The soybean field was 200 acres in total. On about the third or fouth time around the field, the aforementioned pilot tried to exit the soybean field by ascending over a lower section of the bordering hedgerow/treeline & making a left turn; assumingly to continue flying in the next field over, on the other side of the treeline. When this happened, the pilot’s left wingtip was caught in the top of a 50-60 ft. tall Oak tree, that was part of a much taller part of the hedgerow/treeline, resulting in the pilot falling & penduluming through the whole length of the tree. In the end, this could be the result of a too late turn/hand-eye coordination, an overcorrection or an ill-planned beginning to a wingover…The end result was life threatening injuries & the pilot was found face-down on the ground with his motor & wing still attached & running full throttle. An attempt to kill the motor with the kill switch did not work. The spark plug wire had to be pulled to stop the motor. Although, thankfully the redrive must have been damaged, because the prop was not spinning on initial post-crash inspection. The pilot had to be airlifted, with significant injuries.

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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