Had a very abrupt crash landing in the wash today. Broke 2 down tubes and bent 1 undersurface batton. Ended up with minor scrapes on one side of my face, one small cut, and some scrapes on the back of my hand. The cause? Basically I just wasn't paying enough attention to my angle to the numbers. There was significant sink during my approach. I was too low when I turned on final. I had plenty of speed. The high sink rate is what got me there, I just didn't react quickly enough. I was pretty lucky to be in a sandy area of the wash.
Any of the 100 witnesses have other information to add?
6/28/08 crash in Sylmar wash
I was talking to an out-of area pilot during the landing approach. We were "critiquing" it as it happened. So I had an excellent view and was paying attention.
Rob is right for the most part. His speed was ample. He ended up a bit low on downwind, and instead of taking a button-hook turn (eliminating most of base-leg) he did a normal smooth rounded curve. That didn't give him enough time to completely come around and then get level. His left wingtip dug into the sand a bit, just as he ran out of airspace. So, his wing tip hit just a half second or less before the basetube did. He was still moving sideways and the glider wasn't quite level. His body appeared to hit mostly on his chest/belly. The largest scrapes on his face matched his sunglasses, and his face/eyes were full of sand, so I assume his face hit also. It appeared (but I could be wrong) that his body hit first.
Lessons: Don't be complacent - Rob could have fixed the problem right up until the last 4-5 seconds by aggressively completing the turn. Give yourself a bit more altitude than you think you need on that final turn. Better to be (a bit) high than a bit low. It is easier to fix being too high, and very hard to fix being too low. Low turns are bad.
Thanks for the honest report, Rob. We are all glad you are OK.
Rob is right for the most part. His speed was ample. He ended up a bit low on downwind, and instead of taking a button-hook turn (eliminating most of base-leg) he did a normal smooth rounded curve. That didn't give him enough time to completely come around and then get level. His left wingtip dug into the sand a bit, just as he ran out of airspace. So, his wing tip hit just a half second or less before the basetube did. He was still moving sideways and the glider wasn't quite level. His body appeared to hit mostly on his chest/belly. The largest scrapes on his face matched his sunglasses, and his face/eyes were full of sand, so I assume his face hit also. It appeared (but I could be wrong) that his body hit first.
Lessons: Don't be complacent - Rob could have fixed the problem right up until the last 4-5 seconds by aggressively completing the turn. Give yourself a bit more altitude than you think you need on that final turn. Better to be (a bit) high than a bit low. It is easier to fix being too high, and very hard to fix being too low. Low turns are bad.
Thanks for the honest report, Rob. We are all glad you are OK.
Fly High; Fly Far; Fly Safe -- George
I was wearing a full face Shoei motorcycle helmet. I like to think of it as "the scoop". It was well optimized for scooping up all that sand and dirt onto my face. I'm not sure if the type of helmet was helpful or not. There was some of the outside of the helmet enamel that came off, so it certainly couldn't have hurt to have such a beefy helmet. I never have neck problems flying with a slightly heavier helmet and I like the extra protection.Christian wrote:Useful report. Full-face helmet? Would/did type of helmet matter?
BTW, I forgot to mention in my first post... A huge thanks to all those that came down to help me and carry my glider and harness back. My eyes were covered with dirt so I really couldn't see much at that time.
H4
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JT
Whether full-face or just a half-shell brain bucket, everyone should keep in mind that a helmet should be replaced periodically and always after any impacts.
See the Snell FAQ page if you are interested:
http://www.smf.org/faqs.html#9
The short version is that a helmet is for one time use and they recommend replacement every five years.
Keep in mind that the recommendations are for Snell approved motorcycle helmets such as Rob's. HG helmets are often not submitted for testing. Unless you see a Snell label inside, it isn't or didn't meet their standards. Then again, we usually aren't smacking pavement at 70mph.
My opinion on the full vs not full design: I like my chin. It's scarred from having a pebble imbedded for several weeks after sliding in the dirt; failed motorcycle jump, no full-face coverage. Had to razor-blade that rock out because I couldn't sleep face-down.
See the Snell FAQ page if you are interested:
http://www.smf.org/faqs.html#9
The short version is that a helmet is for one time use and they recommend replacement every five years.
Keep in mind that the recommendations are for Snell approved motorcycle helmets such as Rob's. HG helmets are often not submitted for testing. Unless you see a Snell label inside, it isn't or didn't meet their standards. Then again, we usually aren't smacking pavement at 70mph.
My opinion on the full vs not full design: I like my chin. It's scarred from having a pebble imbedded for several weeks after sliding in the dirt; failed motorcycle jump, no full-face coverage. Had to razor-blade that rock out because I couldn't sleep face-down.