Injury at the Grade

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Injury at the Grade

Postby oj » Wed Jul 26, 2006 4:22 am

Saw this in today's paper. Don't know if there were any witnesses that can explain what happened.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/ca ... 05,00.html

Edit: (link is slow to load) OJ.
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby pengoquin » Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:10 am

My son called me about 5:30 and told me about the air rescue at the Grade. I got there about fifteen minutes later, the S.O. had cleared the scene. There was a lone pilot at the third launch and two vehs parked at the LZ. I didn't recognize the pilot or the vehs. The S.O. chopper returned and extracted the pilot from the launch to the LZ. I spoke with the pilot (Chip) in the LZ and to the best of my recollection this is what he told me. Chip is a fairly new P2 and he had just met up with John Fletcher, a very new P2, at Elings. Both pilots are from the Somis area and opted to try the grade. Chip said conditions at launch were good, Camarillo Airport was showing 230-240 8-12. John set up first. Chip was not sure what happened, as he was setting up his wing, but he was alerted to John's wing coming overhead. John turned to launch and was immediately in a full riser twist (the wing had not spun). John was spun hard to his left and the glider also turned left. The pilot collided with the steep rocky hillside approximately 80 yards below launch. Chip climbed down to John, who was conscious, but in extreme pain. Chip provided emergency first aid, obvious broken legs, broken arm and head injury. Ventura S.O. responded to Chip's 911 call and John was air rescued to Los Robles Hospital.

And to make things more difficult, while clearing John's wing for the chopper to move in, Chip had to knock a rattlesnake out of the way with a stick.

Thanks to Chip for a job well done!

I spoke with John's wife Carol last night and John was scheduled for surgery later in the evening. As I understand it, John's injuries included a broken pelvis, broken legs and a broken arm. To top this off Carol is going in for back surgery this morning. John was a student at FAA, but I don't think I had met him. Our thoughts and prayers are with John and his family.
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby oj » Wed Jul 26, 2006 2:38 pm

One other bit of information I have to add is that John's launch trouble was compounded by a dropped right brake toggle, so as the glider veered off to the left he was unable to correct it.
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby Bo » Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:06 pm

Sorry to hear about the accident!!!

I've been calling local instructors trying to get more info and found a few surprises. The injured pilot has a P2 rating without any official high flight training. And there is some debate on whether the Grade is a beginner, intermediate or advanced site. These two factors are striking to me.

I was informed that high flights are not required to earn your P2 rating by USHPA. I looked into that and that is true. High flights are not required. What is required is:

#15. Demonstrates 360-degree turns in both directions, and at various speeds and bank angles.

I know that this requirement is hard to be fullfilled at the SB Training Hill. In fact circles at the training hill would generally be considered quite dangerous by beginner pilots in most situations. To get this requirement fulfilled, you would have to fly from a higher site, like Alternator.

I think it's a disservice to students and to the community to pass off a student on his/her P2 or H2 rating without a mountain flight and at least a very good briefing at a local cliff like More Mesa. I see it like handing someone a loaded gun and sending them off to play.

The results can be disasterous to the uniformed new pilot and to the community at large.

The second point about rating a site like the Grade as acceptable for a beginner should cause a serious conversation.

I flew the Grade for the first time 2 years ago after flying for 8 years. I was completely intimidated by the rocky terrain, wind and thermals. I would consider this site an intermediate site by a well informed pilot, and if the conditions are strong, an advanced or non-flyable site.

I would like the community at large to really start putting efforts forward to build a general site guide with the ratings of each site, special rules and considerations, and what to look for in reguards to weather considerations. Students learning from the local schools and out of town pilots visiting need this information to fly safely. We need people to fly safely to stay out of the news headlines.
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby Ramey » Fri Jul 28, 2006 7:31 am

As far as I know, H2 certification at Santa Barbara has always required 5 mountain flights from the alternator under the guidance of a certified instructor. I believe that this is still the policy today.

I don't know what the policy has been for P2 or if the same requirement is appropriate or not.

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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby DBLD » Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:46 pm

You have hit the nail on the head! I have been to "the grade" at the bottom looking up and I too thought it was a most daunting place to fly on any kind of wing. Certainly an intermediate/advanced site. First time intermediate with a mentor. This is a tragic accident that may have been prevented with proper supervision. Sounds like he lost a brake handle on launch? This could be launch technique? I was taught to always have the proper toggles in the proper hand when launching. This accident should be followed up to find out just what really happened so it doesn't in the future.

dd (concerned pg pilot)
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby Guest » Fri Jul 28, 2006 10:29 pm

I think before we start trying to blame this incident on someone or something we need to accept that accidents happen. I heard of and later met a pilot that was on the US team, this pilot lost his brake while launching had a collapse/etc. with resultant impact causing a broken neck and paralysis.

That being said, and with the notion that we are all sorry to see accidents happen and want to effect a reduction in the events that lead to accidents, I think it is incumbent on all of us to;

a), be proactive in our sport, ie. if it appears that students are being shortchanged on their instruction speak up to both student and instructor, if there is a need to classify sites lets get busy and do it, and then publish these classifications. If the rating standards need to be changed lets speak to our district rep and work on changing them.

b) We should be good role models in our flying, ie. practising good technique, I know there are still people that swap brakes on launching, now is this good practise? I don't know, but it does seem to be anecdotally associated with events that may lead to negative outcome. This is just an example, but I think we all should be dynamic in our approach to flying and try to adopt the safest techniques in our own flying, and then pass this current knowledge on to newer pilots! Even if it means a trip to the training hill or clinics.

c) Lets continue to promote safe practices, which I believe our local community is very good at doing, ie. be able to speak about why we do or don't do things, using our knowledge and experience when relating with new pilots will hopefully help them formulate practices that will reduce the events that lead to accidents.

I had a lot of time to think about the events that surrounded my accident, and I tried to do it without blame or ego, and for me it reinforced the idea I am ultimately responsible when I assume to be pilot in control, and that I need to be fully aware of my limitations.

Andy
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby pengoquin » Sat Jul 29, 2006 12:31 am

I had the opportunity to talk with Chip again today. It's been several days since the accident and he was able to clarify some important details for me. He had also visited John in the hospital and he added some information. First of all John set up for a reverse inflation for a right turn. He pulled the wing up, turned to his left and launched. His risers were completely twisted (John stated, I turned the wrong way). The pilot was several feet into the air when the risers untwisted, causing the pilot to spin to his right. The wing continued to fly fairly straight away from launch. John lost his right brake from his right hand and retained his left brake in his left. Momentarily the pilot and wing flew straight, but then turned to the left, probably due to a hard application of the left brake. The pilot let up on the brake, the wing dove forward and down. John collided with a large rock as he pendulumed under his wing.

I'm sure more details will come to light with time, but to me several key issues are apparent:

1. The Grade is an unforgiving site that leaves very little room for error and yet there are no agreed rating or site requirements.

2. This pilot is a very new P2.

3. The pilot had flown this site before and got a site intro from an extremely experienced pilot.

4. The pilot turned the wrong direction at launch, pilot error.


I don't know any pilot who hasn't bitten off more than they could chew at one time or another, that's part of learning and growing. John is paying dearly for his mistake and I hope he fully recovers. Chip has also been deeply impacted by this and could use all the support we can give him. I known that I'm trying learn as much as I can about this event, so that I can be a better instructor and member of our community. It's good that this sad occurrence has inspired so much input.

Goodnight and Good Flying!
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby Chip B. » Sat Jul 29, 2006 6:37 am

After continplating entry on this site, I have decided to post what will be my accident report submitted to USHGA. I hope this eyewitness account helps someone to be a better pilot. It certainly has deeply impacted not only my flying but entire lifes outlook. I have been to the hospital twice since the accident and John is doing surprisingly well. His prognosis is good.


28-july-06

My name is Chip Bartley and I am a p-2 pilot with 34 logged hours including 4 hours at the location of the incident. On 25-July-06 John Fletcher and I decided to fly the Conejo Grade Mountain. This site is unrated and the launch is at approximately 850’. It is a site that has ridge and thermal lift. On this particular day, the wind was 240 @ 9. I had just met John that day for the first time in Santa Barbara at Elings Field. My understanding is that John is a new p-2 pilot and had flown the Conejo site before.

At about 1615 after hiking 40 minutes we reached the #3 Launch site at Conejo Mountain in Ventura County. John had asked to launch first and seemed anxious to get on with it. After a few minutes, John spread his wing and positioned himself at the launch. He was set-up for a right turn launch. I mentioned that it would be a good idea to take our time and watch the cycles for a while. After saying that, I turned away from John to start unpacking my gear. I was to the right of the launch looking down. Within 15 seconds of turning away from john, I heard his wing load and immediately turned to see Johns launch. As I turned around I observed Johns wing moving overhead and centered. John then proceeded to turn to the LEFT rather than right as he had set up. When John turned left he simultaneously started moving down the mountain and was lifted off the ground. As he was lifted his risers spun to the right to correct themselves and it seemed that John lost his bearing and dropped his right break. His Left break was still in his hand and fully engaged. John was disoriented and off balance. He and his wing quickly flew down the hill approximately 80’ to 100’ feet toward the left. About ¾ the way to where he ended up, he let the pressure off his left brake and the wing began to recover. As the wing began to soften its angle of attack it slowed and lifted. This created a pendulum effect with John in his harness and he was propelled violently in to a huge boulder.

As a result, he was unconscious and in a very precarious location on the side of the mountain. I immediately started a descent to reach John to assess the situation. I was trying to raise him on the radio as well as yelling his name without a positive result. I was fearful he was dead. When I was about 2/3 the ways down the Mountain, I saw John move and he was calling out to me. At that time I called 911 and reported the situation. They stayed on the phone as I continued my descent to John’s location. When I reached John I observed his arm that was clearly fractured. His pupils where dilated and he seemed disoriented. Concerned that John had sustained neck and back injury I used what I could to make him comfortable and hold him in place. At that point I administered first aid and tried to stabilize John on the side of the mountain to prevent any further injury. I let John know his situation and told him that help was on the way and to stay still until they arrived.

After a 20 to 30 minute wait the 911 operator called me back and asked our exact position, I gave her our coordinates and the SAR team was above us almost immediately.. They where very careful as they approached and observed Johns wing draped over the huge boulder above us. In order for the chopper to get close enough, the wing needed to be collected. The air crew was worried that the wing could be sucked up in the rooters and make this bad situation worse. They asked me to clear the wing, so I climbed the 12 foot rock to cut the wing away. As I reached the top of the boulder I was surprisingly met by a rattle snake. I found a stick and knocked the snake away. The rescue team was deployed about 100 yards to the south of our location on the side of the mountain. The rescuers traversed across the steep terrain and arrived at our location with there equipment. They immediately went to work and made a very accurate assessment of the situation. The air crew asked for my help in maintaining John’s alignment while he was rolled over on the back board and strapped in securely. When John’s legs where exposed it became apparent that both legs where massively injured. They then started an IV to hydrate John and prepared him for transport. Within 30 to 40 minutes John was secured and on his way to Los Robles Hospital.

Johns injuries included, Multiple compound fractures of both legs, fractured feet, ankles, pelvis, hips, ribs, right arm, light head trauma and his lungs where bruised badly. After the SAR team left I gathered and inventoried our gear. The SAR team returned in 30 minutes and took me to the LZ.

Respectfully,
Chip Bartley
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby oj » Sat Jul 29, 2006 8:36 am

Thanks for your post Chip. As I said on the phone, the purpose of this discussion is to educate and hopefully prevent others from making the same mistakes. Despite the tone of some of the contributions this is not intended to be a witch hunt. I don't think it's appropriate to bring the instructor into this, this accident occured through a series of choices made by the pilot in command and should not reflect negatively on the instruction he recieved. Over the years I've heard many people say "He (the instructor) is too conservative. He was holding me back."

I think it's important to reiterate some of the details leading up to this unfortunate incident.

*John had zero mountain hours and had not finished his instruction with the usual instructor controlled high flight. Weather issues and scheduling conflicts had delayed a high flight. (Tom P. and I had to wait a month for our instructor to come back from the Nationals to get our first high flight, but we weren't about to venture out on our own.) Patience, patience, patience.

*Although John had one sled ride flight from the Grade before, he was told under no uncertain terms that he was not to return unless he was with an "Advanced" rated pilot. He agreed to this.

*John overstated his experience. The 10 hours and 100 or so flights he told Chip he had was not accurate.

I have heard almost everyone that is flying today (including myself) recount some story of the stupid things they did when they first started flying. The story usually ends with a chuckle and the line "it's a wonder I didn't kill myself." John made some poor choices and had to pay a higher price than the rest of us. He will have plenty of time to reflect on those choices but I hope he will someday be able to join us and see what a great sport this can be. Ojai John.
Last edited by oj on Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby faoro » Sat Jul 29, 2006 3:00 pm

After reading OJ's post, speaking with Chip today on the ride to Chief Peak and hearing the general discussion about this most unfortunate incident, it truly sounds like pilot error - especially decision making before the flight - was the sole cause of the tragic results. I apologize if my former post offended anyone. In the rush of reading about this late last night for the first time, it seemed impossible to me that someone hadn't intervened somewhere in the process. But John clearly rushed his training beyond his skill and comfort level and put himself in a position of great risk. We all pray for his eventual recovery.
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby Lars » Sun Jul 30, 2006 8:47 pm

As a very new pilot myself I'd like to wish John well and hope he makes a complete recovery.

I'd also like to thank all who've contributed information to this thread for doing so; although I'm sure everyone realizes the benefit provided to new (or maybe all) pilots from learning from unfortunate events gone wrong.

Respectfully,
Lars C
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby Randall » Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:35 am

Just to thrown in my two cents, for the benefit of any newbies who may be reading this thread: ALWAYS turn in the same direction (I learned "upcoast" or "downcoast") towards and away from your wing, each time you practice or launch. That way it becomes quickly ingrained and you never have to remember which direction you were supposed to turn; you do it automatically.

Best of luck to John.
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby John » Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:11 am

Hi I'm John, first of all I want to thank you all for your prayers. I am home now after 4 weeks in the hospital. I am still recouperating and will be for the next 6-8 months or more, just waiting for the bones to heal so I can start physical therapy. After reading what was written about the accident, I just wanted to add my comment. I take full responsibility for my flight and resulting accident. Thank God for Chip or I would not be talking to you now. I would be flying with my heavenly father. I really hate to be the example for others of what not to do, but here I am. I don't remember a whole lot except that I was in a hurry to get higher. The hill is inimidating...I was in a rush, a little aprehensive, I thought I set myself up for a right hand departure but took off to the left and tried to turn right and was spun around, a big mistake. I hope my experience helps someone else take the time they need to set up properly, equipment and mind & don't fly unless it feels right.
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Re: Injury at the Grade

Postby irene » Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:11 pm

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this email John. It is great to hear from you. I hope you are going to recover really fast.
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