Crash on Kagel part 2

Mike Blankenhorn · Post by **Mike Blankenhorn** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 2:46 pm

This is what happened from my perspective:

I was enjoying my best flight from Kagel so far, ridgesoaring up and down the mountain, over launch and around again. The scenery was spectacular with misty beams of sun light bursting through the clouds, it was beautiful.
Then everything went to shit.
Soaring above launch once again I was tying to get more altitude while dangerously close to the rear of the lift band. I had not been paying attention to increasing wind speeds and was blown back a bit. Now realizing that I had no choice but try to land the glider as I could not penetrate the wind, I did not unzip since I could not take my hand off the base tube. A hopeful somewhat gentle belly landing quickly turned into being slammed into the ground by the rotor. I remember hitting and then being helped walking to the van but only bits and pieces of being helped out of the harness.
Complacency was a definite contributing factor. When I first learned from Rob McKenzie we had a conversation about just that.
Until I am able to fly again, I will take Janyce's advise and sit and listen.