Mid-Air

From: Dan
Activity_Date: 11-16-01
Remote Name: 24.8.188.224

Comments

Well Chad, I will post what I saw/experienced last Friday, even though your assessment of the incident on that day was somewhat one-sided and not very well received. However, maybe others through this writing can learn by what was for me a very scary and potentially dangerous mid-air collision.

I launched from the alternator in my Epsilon about midway in sequence of the pilots who were launching. I would be guessing but there must have been 15+ pilots flying, and of those flying I had only flown with 3-4 of the gaggle. There were pilots from Switzerland (many), and Colorado that made up the “out of town contingency”.

When I arrived at the front of west bowl I went east where some pilots were getting lift. It was weak and that is when I noticed the pilot from Colorado, Kent, crossing to the west and climbing in what appeared to be better lift. I flew over to get in the thermal and Kent was probably 50-60’ higher than me at that time.

The lift was just as weak, but working and when I entered the thermal Kent was turning left and was about 160 degrees in his turn away from me and higher. I usually turn much tighter in my Epsilon than most and I made two turns from where I entered the thermal and was beginning my third turn when over my shoulder and to my right, Kent was climbing and turning directly into me. From the time I saw him and the time I ended up in his wing it was less than 2 seconds.

I could not turn right as that would have caused the incident to occur even sooner and the only thing I can say now is I could have initiated a very hard left turn but I am not sure even at the time of the writing that I could have avoided the collision even with a hard left turn. In the moment before I “landed” in his wing I had a full view of the pilot.

At the moment of impact we were heading in the same general direction. As his wing came up to my shoulders I looked up at my wing to make sure I kept it overhead. I am not sure of the length of time I spent in his wing because my thoughts were to keep my wing flying so I would not loose control and how was I going to get out of this predicament. Once I was free of his wing I flew forward for a few seconds, turned around and saw the other pilot below me and behind me about 30-40 yards. Talk about a sigh of relief…..

At the moment of impact both of us were probably 250-300’ agl. We were both very, very fortunate to have this type of incident end the way it did. Had I been 3’ lower I would have been in his lines and God knows what the outcome would have been. Likewise another 10-15’ higher and it could have been a near miss.

What could I have done? I could have kept watch even more than I did of the air space around me. What I think happened is the other pilot fell out of the thermal and re-entered without watching. What I did was loose sight of the closest pilot to me. Moral… never assume the other pilot is aware of their surrounding air space. I remember something Tom Truax said, “It takes two people to cause a mid-air incident”.

I can tell you my neck is sore from flying Sunday where we had as many pilots flying at Chiefs craning my neck to make sure no one was going to violate my air space. I am so glad to be here writing this; the worst of part of this incident was the other pilot broke a brake line when his collapsed wing re-inflated. Moral there check your lines and replace them when they are showing wear.

The best thing …… both of us are alive.