The flight that almost killed me
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- čas přidán 5. 12. 2019
- This is a cautionary tale for fellow hangglider pilots.
I made a critical error during my setup which caused my harness to separate from my wing and forced me to hold on to the control frame for my life. Fortunate circumstances led to me surviving this incident with relatively minor injuries.
I was asked if I thought about landing in the ocean to possibly soften the landing. In the moment I had not thought of doing this, however I don't think that I would've decided to do so given my fast rate of decent, the low tide, and the fact that I risked not being able to swim while in my harness (although the risk of being trapped under my wing might have been significantly less considering I was no longer connected to it).
It's very fortunate that the hang loop let loose while I was facing into the wind. The wind this day was consistent at about 20 mph. The fact that my crash landing was going into the wind meant that my ground speed was significantly slowed (as compared to if my crash landing was going down wind).
Considering I used this hang loop setup for many flights in the mountains, this location is potentially the most fortunate place for such an incident to occur. I can't imagine having to hold on to the glider for much longer than I did. If this had occurred in the mountains, where the landing zone is much further away from the launch, I doubt that I would have had the strength to hang on for the duration of the flight out to the landing zone.
Please be very vigilant when preparing to fly to avoid such an incident as this one.
Fly safe my fellow pilots! - Sport
Thank you for your transparency. Learning from your own mistakes requires a "payment", while learning from others offers a scholarship. Thanks for paying the tuition on this so I don't have to. I hope you're well recovered and back in the sky. Cheers!
I really like how you phrased that! You are most welcome! I'm indeed well recovered and back to flying! Thanks!
First Mistake: Jumping off a perfectly good working ground.
you must be boring
@Albin Rosell calling someone else stupid is an idication for being stupid
@@franziskusminiskus he is wise .
@@franziskusminiskus but you just called him stupid you hypocrite....
@@delotrium6207 sherlock
I feel like there should be 2 points of attachment just in case one fails
Exactly
Ya think???
He used his second point of attachment...his hands. Lol
We do that with stage lights. Could easily be a steel cable, or a nylon strap, going all the way around the body bag (is that what they call it?).
@@alphabeyta LOL
Not only did he comment his mistakes in the recording, he even gave us a demonstration on what went wrong afterwards. A++, thank you.
At no point did he address his mistake, a complete lack of redundancy. If he had a second safety line, this wouldn’t have happened. Instead, he was lazy and trusted a single line not to fail. He deserved the Darwin Award.
truly saving lives... we can learn from others mistakes as well as our own but when its something this dangerous you dont want to be making ANY
@@TheOriginalCFA1979 are you a moron... the guy stated what he did wrong, how it went wrong, and what to look out for in the future that is quite literally addressing what his mistake was
@@TheOriginalCFA1979 are you smoking crack? wdym at no point did he address his mistake? he literally described in the video what went wrong and how to avoid situations like it , if you are speaking about why didnt he address it before the video well the mistake didnt happen before the video now did it? actual mental degenerate
@@TheOriginalCFA1979 He quite ilterally did address it when he stated in the end of the video that he has adjusted his primary hang line to not require an extension AND he added a second safety line. While there were a lot of errors made here, it is highly beneficial that this is being shared and could potentially save others. Dog-water take there homie.
It's honestly incredible that the velcro held your weight at all
Completely agree.
Should have used cable ties
I don't know, imagine trying to slide a piece of velcro over another, very resistant to sheer separation.
It takes a lot of courage to show a video where you made such a serious mistake. Thanks! A life might be saved because of you.
Totally agree people are all too quick to hide mistakes but it's highly important they don't so others can learn from them.
Another way is never do this stupid sport
@@T1Earn That's a disgusting practise from the skydiving community, to delete videos which could potentially save someone's life.
This is completely the wrong attitude to adopt from an aviation safety point of view.
agreed
Took a ton of courage and I guarantee this will save at LEAST 1 life because of it
Most of the time you hear people say " I almost died" they are exaggerating, not in this case, you are certainly very lucky.
Not lucky God was looking out for him
@@andrellethompson818 God hahahahahahaha, stfu
@@joshualarrea2339 Google your name 'Joshua' it is a biblical name meaning "God is salvation"
@@joshualarrea2339 Sorry if my previous comment about your name came off a bit rude, I just thought it was a bit funny. Believe it or not the fact that your still here means God is looking out for you too. I pray that you have a great week, if you ever feel trapped in your situation you can always cry out to Jesus and find out for yourself if he is real or not. He won't let you down.
Man, if you don't believe in god or something, don't dish those who believe.
I'm actually a climber not a hang glider, but being willing to share this and being self critical and honest is so important for a community like this. It's how we all learn, props to you for posting.
It’s crazy how fast human reflexes are. It looked like you had a very relaxed grip and when it snapped, your brain instantly gripped harder saving yourself. Very lucky to be alive.
Edit - WHOAAA, had no idea at the feedback I received from this comment. I’m glad everybody was thinking the same thing as me. Everybody have a blessed day!
We truly underestimate our bodies. In that split second that you feel death approaching, your body will do literally anything it can to save itself. After the fact you’re always left wondering “how the fuck did I do that”. Yea watching it in the third person is even more impressive, I’m sure the dude rewatched this hundreds of times
@@valentinventures You speak as though it happened to you several times.
@@bojcio lol, I’ve done a few silly things in my lifetime
1:55 hands off, wouldnt have had a chance if it snapped.
@@Hoki4 oh don’t get me wrong, this guy was lucky as all hell that it broke when it did.
The anxiety of seeing you let go of the bar every-now-and-then, knowing that you could've fallen right then and there...
@Mi p idk if that would have helped him in any way, by the looks of it he was coming in pretty hot. I was thinking at first maybe he could have used the roll method parkourers use when they jump from high place and roll over their head on the ground but I think his body wasn't in the right position for that. His natural reaction was just to hang on and I think most of us would have done the same thing. He's lucky he landed where he did and not on the brushy cliffside of the highway or even on the highway and possibly get run over. Idk how hard it is to steer a hang glider when you aren't tethered like he was because I've never been, but if I were him I would have been aiming more towards the water which he was most likely trying to do as well... this man is beyond lucky.
Let go at the very end and land on your souls of your feet while covering your head is ideal falling position. The objective is, to have that large femur/quads/glutes absorb as much as the impact as possible.
@@TOGTFOPLOX If you read the text you can see that his chin strap came up and covered his eyes. So he was blind towards the last 5 seconds. All he could do was hold on and hope.
@@TOGTFOPLOX i think at this height the roll method won't save you
The fact that you kept yourself in good physical health to be able to save your life should be commended. Having presence of mind means nothing if you cannot act on it.
absolutely if you can't do pullups with ease you should never do this
@@miso-ge1gz lol wtf? what a senseless comment
@@amvlabs5339 This is somewhat true tho, being able to lift your own bodyweight with ease certainly helps in a scenario like this.
Good comment. Being fit has many carry-overs in life, and can impact survival/safety. They don't say 'survival of the fittest' for nothing.
@@miso-ge1gz he wasn't able to keep himself up with his arms and was on the edge of letting go before he hit the ground. I doubt he can do a pulling up easily
I just wanted to say thanks for sharing this. It’s important for people to see how easy it is for a seemingly small mistake to turn life or death in a truly high risk sport.
That took a some humility and integrity - character. This is how to build a sport up.
It’s still just a childhood dream of mine at 51.
That terrifying moment when the term hang glider became way too literal
@khana ristobal lmfao!!!!
Best comment
😆
The moments before it happens where he takes his hands off the bar are terrifying
I'd love to see the footage from the camera on the front of the setup.
Yes & would’ve added just that little bit of extra weight onto the strap. Absolutely amazing it held at that point
We would not be watching any video had it let go when his hands were off the bar.
😂😅 and the fact he didn't wear gloves..wow
Went back and looked for that, but fortunately the hands were always on the bar. Nice trick, though!
You not only caught yourself on the disconnect, but you captured the momentum from your free legs swinging forward on the back stroke to capitalize on it and perform a rough muscle-up to get yourself over the bar and throw the elbows around. Watching in .25 speed really highlights not just that you gripped to stop falling, but that your body had the awareness and you brought the fitness to save yourself with complex gymnastic skill. Very cool, and thanks for sharing! I was so nervous waiting to see what was coming next.
Thank you for posting the visual explanation at the end. Very helpful.
Those 2 times you took your hands completely off the base tube though 😱😱😱 -- you're so beyond lucky!!!
It just wasn't your time to go.
That was insane.Its crazy he managed to even hang on with the momentum of his swinging forward after the line detached.
Glad your well Brother! Just met him and his lady today, cool down to earth people!
If this was me, with my luck, would go right off at that time.. :D
no such thing
I don't understand why you would take your hands off ?
Bread was not buttered on the landing but more accurately toasted
Okay.
Thats quite an accurate description
@@Joost. Agreed
airforceproud95 fanboy
Me luv ur Chanel
Thank you for sharing this video. It’s videos like these that I have been thoroughly watching before I take my first plunge into hang gliding.
I’m very grateful that you are OK
Wow! what a video! You are so fortunate to have survived. A very similar incident happen to a hang glider pilot in Cairns, North Queensland Australia in the early 1990s. He was very experienced and flying was the love of his life keeping his glider on roof of his car all the time except when it was time to fly. One day he decided to use the same strap that you used because he apparently wanted to use a shorter hang loop that day. He did not realize that this strap was not meant to be used as a main hang loop? He also did not use a secondary backup hang loop which he would have known he should do. The 'strap' broke and it was all over. Too high at the time, rocks below. RIP Mick! Always best not to take any chances with equipment, have at least one backup plan for failures, and always triple-check everything before flying.
HUGE props for being so aware of your usage of gear to know exactly what went wrong and what to do to prevent the issue in the future. Not just some random thrill seeker, you know what to do. 10/10
Knowing exactly what happened and how is precisely what has allowed me to maintain my confidence in my ability and to continue flying.
@@D-Garck 👌✔✔✔✔✔
bruh how tf he even came up with this dumb idea if you think he's that smart.
@@excelsiusprime You sound like a little dumb fk.. Obviously don't understand the comment that was made!
@@jazbasic He understands...people who practice these activities fail to understand how stupid you need to be to engage in death wishes like this.
Jesus man, thank God for your grip, glad you’re well!
death grip
All his adolescent wankin pays off with an iron grip!
Jesus is a human and a messanger of God. But not God. A god does not go to the toillete and does not need to eat
@@efn_38 you misunderstand scripture. John 10:30 as well as John 1:1-14 with help you though. You also misunderstand that while Jesus was on Earth he was "made a little lower than the angels" to fulfill a role (Heb 2:9). Whether you can grasp or understand such a concept is irrelevant. He only expects you to believe that He was/is the Son of God (John 8:24)- and obey Him (John 14:15.)
@@efn_38 who cares?
Impressive, scary, educational! I love your comments at the end and the mention of installing a second loop- the significance of redundancy cannot be overstated
I want to say I have watched this numerous times and find it amazing that you were that hurt really bad. Thank God for you having the ability to hang on!!
2:27 "Too Low, Terrain, Too Low, Terrain, PULL UP *WOOP WOOP*, PULL UP *WOOP WOOP*, PULL UP. BANK ANGLE"
But seriously, glad you're okay!
DON'T SINK, DON'T SINK, PULL UP
Caution, Landing gear, Caution, Landing gear. Too low terrain terrain, Wind shear Wind shear
Somehow my brain is converting this comment into audio .....Terrain, PULL UP *WOOP WOOP*, PULL Up 😅
What kobes pilot heard.
@@Moon-pz6ox bruhh🗿
your reaction time was incredible.
Why isn't this being mentioned more? I was seriously impressed by that myself.
@@NarcolepticCanadianFlyer I humble think.. it’s not reaction it’s reflex.
If you watch 2:54 at 0.25x speed you can see he grips the bar a couple of frames before the velcro gives out, seriously spooky stuff.
@@mattyisagod maybe he started to feel the velcro coming loose, and therefore started gripping quickly
@@mattyisagod if you watch closer you will see that right before the break he was performing a hairpin turn. Centrifical force is pulling on his velcro, which is what caused the failure. And the feeling is probably the reason for the hand placement and timing. I may be wrong but, that's how I saw it. Either way, fucking incredible super body strength is the only reason that man is alive. And body weight, there is probably a formula that would give you the actual numbers. But I wouldn't doubt 2 to 3 time the body weight in that turn. For me, that's 600 or 900 lbs. A death sentence at the very least. I am not a fat 300. I can do one pull up. But dropped with only my grip I can not do.
This video needa to be shown in the courses for hang gliding, this demonstrates visually and in very detailed explanation & words. Aswell as picture by picture of what happens systematically. Thank you for this.
OMG that's terrifying. Lightning fast reflexes! Surprising there are no backup systems for these.
A standard hang check and lift and tug hook in check still could have missed this problem.
Hooking in first then crawling into the harness still could have missed this problem.
Listen up hang gliding community, anyone posting anything ridiculing this pilot will be doing this sport a huge disservice. I’ve witnessed it in the past where a post was taken down due to
pretentious know-it-alls.
So far everyone has been supportive and I hope that continues.
Thanks for the video.
I’m going on 42 years in the sport and you just taught me something else that requires my attention. This video is a life saver.
Thank you for your words. I truly hope that this video will help prevent people from making a similar mistake in the future.
I can deal with pretentious know-it-alls... I'm very conscious of the fact that pilots have their own opinions of the "correct" way or the "best" way to do things with respect to hang gliding. I recognize that there are many different things that could have prevented this incident in the first place. I also recognize that there are many different ways to have handled the situation the initial error put me in. The only thing I can say for sure now, after the event unfolded as it has, is that I've alerted myself (and hopefully many others) to this particular possibility. I suppose it's up to each individual pilot to determine their preferred way of avoiding this particular possibility. But I do not plan to take this post down due to pilots berating me for doing this or that the "wrong" way according to their preferred practices.
I was thinking the same thing, Bill ... it would have passed the hang check. The hang point has some single points of failure, for instance the single carabiner. It better be strong, not fatigued.
DG and NW,
For myself and others I’ve done the rapid remedy hang strap extension method like was done in this video.
Obsessive Compulsive Worry Wart that I am I would run a cord through, and tie tightly, all the correct loops that my carabiner had to also go through.
Bill as a new pilot, I'm really glad that I got to see this video. Your comment is very true. Just by watching this video and reading the comments, I've learnt a lot. In our sport, you always keep learning :)
For sure. For me the main take away is to be extra mindful when any extra straps are in the mix. This is the first time I've seen velcro be the confusing factor, but there have certainly been others where additional straps have caused partial hook ins.
I admire the author for admitting his mistakes and sharing publicly so others can learn and avoid this situation.
Glad you’re alive my friend, thanks for posting as it’s a great lesson for others.
I'm glad you survived mostly intact. I'm glad wisdom was gained from the mishap. I hope you're still well and have continued hang gliding. Thank you for sharing.
when the shit happened your brain basically told your arms/shoulders muscles: "Hey now is the time to go 100%" It's incredible to see how crazy strong and powerful agile and responsive a body can be in extreme life situations.
100% alright holy fuck. He was holding on for dear life
Yeah! Have you seen this clip from a tandem glide goes wrong in Switzerland? Pucker factor over 9000! czcams.com/video/dLBJA8SlH2w/video.html
Even so, eventually the muscles fatigue. It's good he came down at the speed he did. I am forever haunted by an old video I saw 50 years ago of a failed dirigible landing that pulled a lot of holders up. Most holders let go instantly, but a few manned their posts diligently and within seconds were far too high to let go safely. The dirigible climbed way up, and for the next few minutes, men kept dropping off one by one, and nothing could be done to save them. The horror they must have all felt, including the witnesses.
Yeah, adrenaline really makes our body give out its best. When it's released, we are capable of taking multiple hard decisions in a fraction of a second, that we are not normally capable of while relaxed. The adaptiveness and responsiveness of our neural system is really amazing.
@@spacelemur7955 the USS Akron....
Not only amazing reaction time with your grip, but the strength to hold the initial G-force of going from zero pounds to full body weight in a split (and totally unexpected) second. That was terrifying, glad you are still with us!
The hand strength of a falling man can not be underestimated
ITS Called adrenaline
@@davidcatanach2620 can confirm..
@@sanglasakna8959 and some genetic carry over from our tree swinging ancestors
@@50shadesofcerakote story time?
Dude, this is incredible. I'm amazed you had the reaction to grip without falling. I'm also amazed you didn't do a anything major in terms of injuries (although knees take forever to heal). Good job staying in control and I hope you healed up OK.
Man, that was stressful and had me feeling anxiety watching that! Glad you made it through that.
Velcro is good for people who cant do shoe laces - flying hang gliders.. not so much :)
Leave the velcro to my toddler.
@@saulm2007 never saw teens doing thAt?
@Evilpimp no need to be horrible about it? Grow up man look at 5:12, he knows he messed up.
@Evilpimp why are you getting so pressed about velcro tho?? 😂
Did you not pay attention to the video? There's nothing wrong with velcro. The problem was that the velcro was mistakenly used to bear a load it was not designed to carry.
I clicked on this thinking it would be one of those overly dramatic "I almost died" videos where the person wasn't really even close to dying. Well, shit. That's certainly not the case here. You were sooo close to dying here it's crazy that you even made it. Scary as hell.
@Stella Hohenheim The chances of surviving a fall from that height are miniscule.
@Stella Hohenheim damn you are some sorta stupid
@@tibor29 It's ok, the ground would have cushioned his fall :P
@@Volkaer Yes, didn't you see the cars below him, he would have landed on one of these and those things have shock absorbers. :D
Stellvia Hoenheim ok I’d like to see you take a video of yourself jumping from that height and surviving.🤣🤣jk don’t
Thanks for sharing. I can imagine that many would not want to "talk" about this, but showing this may save lives.
I appreciate that you shared this horrible experience to help other people. Well done! Happy you are fine!!!!
The grip strenght to catch yourself like that is insane. I guess the adrenaline helped.
nothing like near death to bring out the primal drive to survive
@Stella Hohenheim are you blind? Seriously, just compare the size of the car on the road to the guy at 3:12
@@sparky3801 dude is commenting the same thing all over each comment thread. it's his sad excuse at getting attention.
@Stellvia Hoenheim uh he was definitely high enough to die...
I think you took the term "hang gliding" far too literally!
Seriously though, very glad it didn't end worse, and I commend you for sharing this. I can see how it's an easy mistake to make with the velcro strap...an excellent learning opportunity for everyone.
you don't want mistakes to be 'easy'.
@@zzz7zzz9 he acknowledged that at the end
God smiled on you that day my friend!!!. Thankfully you had the grip strength to hold on. Thanks for sharing with us so others can learn. This was 4 years ago, so I'm sure you back in the harness. :)
As a hang glider pilot of 20+ years you have serious quick reflex skills! I flew most of those years at Fort Funston. The G’s you continued to hang on through just wow, way to stay alive!
That's why they use in civil aviation the four eyes principle. We all make mistakes. I showed this video to my dad who was once considered Europe's best hang gliding sail maker. He told me that the 1979 world champion Josef Guggenmos (he won with a hang glider build by my dad) made the same mistake once and only survived with a few broken bones because he managed to navigate close to a near mountain and jumped a few meters when he was close. I'm truly happy nothing happened to you so we can call this lesson learned the hard way. Take care!
Thank you for your words! I appreciate you sharing the video with your dad. Lesson learned indeed!
Wow, sounds like a real badass.
Jochen Baum Your dad is amazing.
@@osamabinladen824 Thank you Mr. Bin Laden, couldn't agree more!
@@jochenbaum996 lmao
I just wonder why there's even velcro involved.
watch the video, it explains it.
@@Richie_RHD I did and I don't really get it. Not familiar with this stuff or the lingo. Seems like there shouldn't be velcro involved at all period. I know if I was 100m+ up in the air I sure as fuck wouldn't trust anything but ropes that can hold 30x my weight and steel.
@@Tristoo minute 4:00
@@Tristoo it is a slipknot, it tightens the knot when you have weight on it, but if you reduce the weight applied to the knot it might loosen itself. Like the knot used it gallows, if you hold the person up it will allow the said person to breath again because it isn't as tight as before. The velcro is for such a situation, if the wind comes from bellow and removes his body weight from the rope, then the knot loosens a little and the rope might slip to one side, making the system unbalanced, so the velcro keeps it tight in this case. I am not knowledgeable in hang-gliders, but that is what I got from the video.
@@Lnd802 damn bro thanks! you're a lot smarter than me.
I'd honestly just knot it with a knot that really wouldn't loosen and just cut it off and replace it when I'm done.
You are Blessed! So happy you're safe and wish you all the best in life. Take good care
Bro....awesome video, glad you're still with us! that was 3-4 minuets of pure anxiety on this end.
Spectator: Aww look a handglider! he must be having a blast up there! lol
Spectator must have been like ''oh look, now he's showing off using hands only! What a baller!'' 🤣🤣
@@Darkest_Soul_187 lmao!
I Like How He tells his mistakes but also tells positive Points
Well they did save his life so lucky him
I was just thinking that. Making such a serious mistake and then not only admitting to it but helping others not make the same mistake takes a huge swallow of pride but it's priceless to others.
Thank God you are ok. Good reflexes and better attitude sharing your experience to avoid others being harmed. Cheers!!!
OMG!... I'm glad you're well. I flew hang gliders in Mexico Valle de Bravo for 10 years. Now I'm too old to fly back, but I miss it a lot!
I had an accident back in the 80's, where the tow boat took off too fast, catapulted me and the glider out over the water from the breakwater beach, and then the boat motor stalled. This allowed the glider to slowly sink to the bottom at about 18 feet deep in the channel with me still attached in the harness. No we stupidly didn't have adequate flotation on the glider!. I then spent over two minutes trying to detach the harness clip so that I could escape from underneath the glider. There was a couple of feet of water above the glider sail, I was under the sail, and the glider A frame was resting on the sand bottom of the harbor.
I could not see clearly without a mask, and I didn't realize that the shock of the launch had jammed the harness clip and it was never going to release. After about two minutes I suddenly realized that that clip was not releasing and that I was way out of air. It was drowning time.
Luckily we were avid skin and scuba divers, so being relaxed and holding my breath under water for longish periods when spearing was something that I was accustomed to. I was out of air and about to breath water, but somehow on the edge of panic a plan B occurred to me, which was to undo all the Velcro harness attachments and swim out of the harness itself. This was more difficult and much slower than a simple clip release, but I managed it in record time, and now completely desperate for air swam upside down out from under the sail and then up up up to the surface. That swim seemed to take forever. The beach was only about 25 feet away. I was heavy breathing for a couple minutes to regain my breath. The boat then arrived to the rescue, they had to paddle back as they couldn't get the motor restarted. They reckon that I came up looking completely blue.
It was the perfect example of multiple mistakes adding up to create a life threatening situation. In this case we made several serious mistakes, and I was very lucky to survive unscathed. Trust me when I say, I was a much wiser (and older) person after that accident. These days I've become a person who almost religiously prepares for the worst while hoping for the best. Stopping and thinking things through and then preparing adequately, really could save your life.
JESUS MAN! That is absolutally insane. Glad you are still here today to tell the tale. Be Safe Brother
I liked the part about being older the most. Situations like that really make one grow/age. Glad you made it man!
Thanks guys. Yep got about 5yrs older in about 2 minutes lol. Lucky I didn't get locked up for stupidity. Teaches you to laugh at yourself, that's for sure.. what other choice is there when you're obviously not perfect - or smart :). These days the sky's the limit. I'd say if it inspires you, go for it. Cheers.
Did you "red out" on the way to the surface
I had a similar experience with my windsurfer. I got catapulted off the board but I was still attached by a hardness and I rotated maybe 180 degrees. The quick release on the harness would not work and then my sail fell on top of me, pinning me under water. Like you I wrestled with the main release but in the end I had to undo all the leg straps individually which was slow and fiddly even on land. Upside down and under water it was especially hard. I finally managed it but I really thought I was a goner.
That you were able to able to hold on in that situation is nothing short of stupendous. Glad you're still with us. Your continuing to make roll corrections to keep the wing level until the end is remarkable. You really kept your cool in a terrible situation.
Manufacturers decided some time ago to use an integral back-up strap, ostensibly for drag reduction. This idea completely ignores one of the two reasons for having a BU-strap. Reason #1. Main strap failure. Reason #2. Failure to hook in properly. If there is a separate BU, any sensible pilot will extend the BU too. One could conceivably hook in incorrectly to both, but a redundant BU at least doubles your chance of success.
The problem with the integral BU hang strap is that it looks like one hang strap. Newer pilots who are not familiar with the idea of a BU will extend the one strap when they really should use an additional BU extension, which would have saved the day in this case. I carry an extra-long hang loop in my harness with my extension loops, so I can add a separate BU when needed.
If manufacturers will revert back to the original logic of a separate BU strap, pilots' lives will be saved. No pilot flying for fun needs to reduce drag to this degree. Most pilots plow through the air head-up anyway making the idea of trying to hide the BU drag in the main ludicrous. Comp pilots will always trade safety for performance, but rec pilots should not be mislead into thinking we need this minuscule drag-reduction feature at the detriment of safety.
I know a guy who's main broke while he was looping. The separate BU saved him. I knew a guy who died because he didn't hook into his extension correctly around the time the first integral BUs were introduced. I'm sure that he would have extended the BU had there been a separate BU strap hanging there in front of his face while he was hooking in. That's why we need a separate BU.
The idea that hooking your harness into your glider before you climb in will prevent launching unhooked is a fallacy, because we humans are fallible. As long as there is a carabiner that can be unhooked, an unusual situation will arise when the pilot (a human being) will unhook and forget to hook back in. There is no foolproof way of preventing unhooked launches unless the harness does not detach from the glider.
The best way I have seen that reduces the likelihood of launching unhooked is "Marginal" Mark's method of lifting the glider until you feel the leg loops pull up on your legs, then launch in that condition. This also insures that you are in your leg loops. This method does take a fair amount of strength. If you are not strong enough to hold the glider up while you launch, you should at least do a quick lift to feel the leg loops tighten just before you go.
Thank you for your input John! I agree that the backup hang loop should be a separate hang loop entirely. Thank you for your historical knowledge of the reasoning for integral backups. I had assumed that was the case (that they wanted to eliminate drag).
I also appreciate your response to those that say hooking your harness to your glider before stepping into it is fool proof. I personally know someone who launched unhooked because he followed that procedure, decided to unhook to go help someone launch, went back to his wing and was in his harness so he assumed he was hooked in, then proceeded to launch unhooked. As you said, people are fallible. I think the method you describe of lifting the glider to feel the pull on the harness and the leg loops is indeed the best method. However, I do lend credence to those that suggest the "Aussie" method in this particular case where I wasn't hooked in properly but I would have passed the "Marginal" Mark test. Perhaps the practice of hooking my harness to my wing before stepping into it would have given me a more clear, up close look at the connection so that I wouldn't have improperly connected it.
But again, that is not guaranteed.
@@D-Garck I'm not a glider at all but when I read your comments I'm wondering : can't you guys go through a safety check list before flying ? Like they do when flying aircraft. To me, that's sound like the only way to be sure everything is fine.
@@BertrandBarraud we do have checklists that we go through. I went through it twice while preparing for this flight. The reason the checklist failed me is because the connection faked me out, it seemed to be connected properly without being connected properly.
@@D-Garck In the Australian system, the harness is always hooked in before the pilot gets into it. This makes it easier to check the connection. (Not many use cocoon harnesses here).
We are Marginal Mark's acolytes in that we practice launching tight hang strap exclusively, that being said, yes, if we had made a mistake like this, it wouldn't have saved us. D-Garck you've saved quite a few people by encouraging a lot of locals to just get proper length hang loops instead of improvising solutions, so thank you.
Wow. That was intense. Glad you lived to tell the tale. Angel watching you buddy
For the rest of my life I will triple check thanks to this. A legend and pioneer of the sport died the same way, you were looked after that day.
I am surprised buddy caught himself in time. Most people would have slipped off. It's amazing how the human body can respond in time of crisis. I used to hang glide in my 20's. It was like a flying dream, reality blended with amazing fantasy. I loved it!
Dude was just lucky. He even said he was surprised the velcro didn't rip off while he was flying no-handed. For every one vid like this theres 20 more that never made it
@@jonesparza2323 no one died
@@jonesparza2323 ever
@@jonesparza2323 Not just luck. Evolution. His brain went full survival, and his body followed its command.
Still extremely lucky, though.
@@kain0mIt is known that man has learned to survive while witnessing another man or woman fail to survive… a man and a woman have always and will always be as they were first created, no evolution involved just adaptation … that being said, unlike today there are still only 2 genders man and woman, and they continue to live on an immovable plane less earthquakes in a closed system earth created by the same creator that created us… it is unknown who or what the creator is, all religions just muddy the waters and allow the 2 knowns I mentioned be covered up by lies… Peace on the Plane Earth Brothers And Sisters …
my jaw literally dropped when i saw you catch yourself and realized nothing was holding you on anymore
Thank God your alive! you muist of had a gut feeling to take gloves off ... man the way you reacted when the valcro broke was very impresive
Thank you so much for sharing this I'm sure a lot of people will learn from this. Not a lot of people want to show their mistakes but there's a lot to be learnt thank you
Being blind sighted and falling at the same time has to be one of the scariest things ever
I agree Mr. Kersey
sided*
@@MlSTERSANDMAN right! What would 'blind sighted' even mean? Ya can't see but ya can? lolz
I remember a couple years back every time I used to fall asleep I'd have this episode of instantly smashing the ground and feel like I just jumped off a high 100-ish story building.
@@V-3 Holy shit i thought i was the only one i always remember thinking i was being pulled up and then fall down on my bed.
Never met you and feel so grateful that you’re alive!
At around 3.45, you still had the presence of mind to input a small weight shift while hanging from the base bar. It’s clear that that little correction prevented a possible roll to the left, which would have made things even worse…if that’s possible! Thanks for sharing this video. Not only have you likely saved lives because pilots will re-visit their hang loop setup, you’ve probably prevented some possible serious injuries.
happy you are alive...
thanks for share this!
very usefull for others delta pilots!!
Fly Safe!
Good Flights!
Thank you for sharing! Most people hide videos like this because they forget everyone makes mistakes. To survive hazardous endeavors, we need to identify risk and learn to minimize it. This video has been viewed so many times, it is likely you have saved at least one life already by just reminding people to check their hang loop, much less just take a step back and reassess their risk portfolio. Cheers and fly safe!
This the most accurate, non-clickbate title on CZcams. I’m glad you survived and thanks for sharing.
Thank you for putting the future safety of the community above any sense of pride or embarrassment.
It’s the only way good things come from these terrible situations.
And the pre flights and attention to set up details become instantaneously much more thorough and careful. Glad you made it. When the harness line let loose I think my heart skipped a beat. I'm betting yours did, literally.
Even knowing you survived, this was so completely nerve wracking to watch. Thankful you are safe.
New meaning to "Fight or Flight" . What an incredible reaction time you had there..
Glad that you alive! Hope that you life just became better after this awakening incident - understanding of the unavoidable death makes life brighter.
Thanks for sharing specific learning points at the end. This outcome was so many levels of luck after the mishap occured. Unelievable lucy outcome. As a cat I would say that 8.5 out of 9 lives was lost for this pilot during this flight... Luckily he was probably able to do at least a few pull-ups prior to this flight :)
This almost ended up on a different side of CZcams
Different side of the internet
@@markjohnson5071 nah I seen a video of literally the same thing happening to an Australian stuntman... but his grip wasnt so good. On a channel called "Horror Stories", got lots of shit for you to watch. Check it out
they've cleaned up that side of youtube, but plenty of titties
LiveLeak
I'm quite surprised you wouldn't have a secondary safety. that's terrifying, glad you're ok
yes why not a redundant second loop and carabiner? the community still thinks one is ok if it's checked?
@@bamwa There is a second loop indeed as a safety webbing on the hang-loop, either on hang glider hang-loop supplyed by the manufacturer or any custom made extention.
This pilot must have done some gross error! Aside from using a damaged carabiner unfit for the use which I consider as close as a suicide, there is one foolproof method although not largely used by pilots:
you first clip the harness to the hang glider by visually checking the proper routing and, when you're ready to go fly, you put on on the harness making sure you buckle up properly. Instead many people first they put on the harness and then they clip on but when you do this way you do not have a complete sight of the hang-loop & carabiner routing because you can only face forward, so you do it kind of blindly. Hope it's clear enough. Cheers 👋 👋
i know its standard practice for dangerous sports like these for another person to "check each others gear". Reason being humans are prone to err, but hopefully your fellow will notice the error if there is one, especially a critically important one. Any of the parachute sports, be it skydiving, proximity flying, base jumping, etc definitely do it. But even sports like scuba do it as well.
I like your idea too, but I would want a second person to recheck my gear, b/c it is your life at stake.
@@Gizziiusa You're right. The video shows that this pilot even had someone to check it out but he too did not notice the carabiner had been clipped to the wrong webbing... crazy to say the least 😱
@@Gizziiusa spot on! redundancy saves lives.
Great video, I hope this will learn a lot of pilots/soon to be pilots the importance of pre flight checks and also to make sure not to do this
Also I have a lot of respect for your courage to continue doing the sport and to post this video to learn other people about safety
Wow. I have no idea how I ended up watching this video but what a ride it was. Glad you're still with us.
What makes this video truly great is that at the end you went through a full list of things that went wrong and what to look for in the future, giving your viewers a potentially safer flight the next time they go up.
Wow, seeing that gives me chills, glad it worked out , way to "hang in there"
Ya, I couldn't watch the thing in realtime. I had to scan to the post-fail then move back.
@@JustCameronAndHisJeep I did the same! Truly terrifying.
Almost as terrifying as Steve's pun... :)
@@basic411 - for some of us Too Soon is a way of life. Steve, good one.
That had to be terrifying, so glad you caught yourself, good catch!
I commend you for going into great detail about your experience. Im sure you saved a few lives!
Thanks for sharing this! I'm a hang 4 (for non hang-glider pilots, that's "Advanced-rated" pilot) and fly the mountains in CO a lot. I easily could have done something like this, myself. Your willingness to share is greatly appreciated. So glad you were low and not in huge turbulence and hung on. So great.
Your video and the detailed narrative explaining what went wrong has very likely saved someone else's life. Bravo to you for figuring out your mistake and shining a light on it for everyone to see and learn from. Best wishes to a full recovery!
Scary glad you ok man. Thanks for the cautionary advice
It's amazing that you were able to maintain your grip from a fall like that... especially when it's something you totally weren't expecting. Wow.
I’ve had that Velcro snapping feeling many times, but only when I’m about to fall asleep
That's just you dying in another life
That's because your heart skips a bit when it slows down too fast and your brain thinks that you are dying.
I get a mini heart attack by missing a step walking down the stairs imagine the absolute terror of you just vibing and gliding and then this happens
Great reflexes and you kept your head in an extremely dangerous situation. Well done! I can't imagine what your heart rate was as it was happening
Thank you for sharing! This video has had more impact on me than all of the other hanggliding mishap videos I have see. Glad you survived.
I've been reading about failures to hook in for the past 30 plus years! This will continue to happen! Your video will surely prevent a few from not happening! Thanks for sharing!
Very Very fortunate thing #1 recording what had happened to identify, communicate and resolve the issue so that both yourself and others don't make the mistake again.
I'm amazed that the velcro lasted so long!
Thank you for your comment, this is the only reason I posted this. I'm also so amazed!
Wow! Thanks for posting! Im glad you weren't too badly injured and hope you've gotten back to the skies?!? Im trying to get my pilot's cert in the next year.
And this is why we don't have single points of fatal failure, kids. You are soooooo lucky. Thank you for sharing your mishap as a teachable moment for everyone.
Do you know if there is an alternative to this that could easily be employed? That wimpy ass knot is insanity
@@elijahgavin6706 He says how to at the end. Having a correct primary loop and a secondary backup as well. 2 point system. It's not really a knot, it's a loop of webbing, which is very strong. Knots weaken things, actually, because they concentrate stress.
I couldn't imagine working as a roofer and relying on Velcro as PPE.
Right! I work at heights as well, and there is no way in hell velcro is on my harness/lanyards. Props to this guy for owning his mistake and showing it to the world, it's a lesson for sure.
Facts
You missed the point. The velcro is not there for any form of PPE. It is simply to keep the actual PPE from sliding around.
@@sergeig685 true. but it's there, and by that, he accidentally hooked to it. not good.
Like explained in the video the Velcro is not supposed to be used to hold your weight. Did you eve watch the whole thing?
Glad you made it with realitivly minor injuries compared when could have happened at your altitude when the failure occurred! Also great you had enough upper body strength and quick reflexes to save yourself. Great cautionary video. Wish there would have been more like this back in the 70's when so many pilots fired up a doobie and forgot to hook in....
You probably saved lives with this video. Thank you for sharing
I've been flying for many years and this was always something I worried about.
Seeing this happen to you, puts this back in the front of my brain.
The next time I hook-in, I'll think of this video. Thanks for sharing.
i fly full gliders, i would never trust my life to one hook that i can't see it's closed correctly.... and even then check check double check
it is beautiful the amount of luck it took to survive this. There was such a high possibility of you dying and the fact that you survived is incredible
Thanks for documenting in detail and sharing the “lesson learned”
Great video. You have a mentality that helps the sport forward: open, willing to reflect and doing that in a very concise manner. Thanks for sharing your story.
Thank you so much for your words!
@@D-Garck you are welcome! Was wondering, Are you still flying the hg? How was getting back into the air?
@@Flightcoach I definitely still am flying! It was amazing to be back in the air. Definitely had a little more hesitation with taking both hands off the base tube, but I did install my new hang loop setup (correctly lengthened primary and a back up secondary hang loop). I posted a video of a flight over Mt. Whitney on my channel that was flown since this accident.
@@D-Garck so glad you are back on the horse. Not many people live through something like this, share their lessons and go on flying, you are quite unique!
I have a feeling that sand is the reason you didn’t have any fractures, looked like a pretty big impact.
@TBRHkyleHD what’s funny
@TBRHkyleHD you must be 8
In hanggliding lingo: He has a 'high bouncablity quotient'.
That all goes away with age.
He was going probably 40 mph, maybe more at impact. The sand was equivalent of landing on concrete.
For those of you who are not hang glider pilots, hanging directly from the horizontal bottom bar, the base tube, completely changes your center of gravity and causes the glider to be almost uncontrollable. He had no ability to change his airspeed. The glider was flying at a speed that is MUCH faster and descending MUCH faster than it normally flies.