SAFA Skysailor Magazine

42 SKY SAILOR November | December 2022 lower into the valley wind. They then decided to come off the speedbar, approximately 30 seconds later and at about 150-200ft above the ground, the wing suffered a 50% collapse on the right. It recovered immediately and within a second the left side then collapsed by 50%. The wing was now entering a parachutal stall and the descent rate was around 13m/ sec. As the wing recovered, it pitched forward with a cravat on the right wing-tip, remained pitched forward and entered a right-hand dive. The wing came out of the dive at about 15m above the ground and PIC then flew into a sus- pended phone line with the cable against their body. This slowed the descent to the ground, but broke and the PIC hit the ground with their harness airbag and left foot first. A minor back strain and fractured ankle requiring surgical stabilisation resulted. The CHGC have proceeded to educate the clubs safety officers and pilots of the risks involved when flying and landing in these weather conditions – winds from SSE-S. The disused phone line has also been removed. We’ll finish up in the ACT… #1497 PG accident at Spring Hill, ACT A very experienced PG5 pilot was flying their EN-D wing in light thermic conditions at Spring Hill (ACT), a site where they have many hundreds of hours of airtime. Whilst scratching low on the north end of the hill, a significant thermal came through and pitched the wing well behind them. PIC then locked eyes on the wing and prepared to break the surge. They caught it before it flew past, but then took a major asymmetric collapse (LHS). They then shifted weight and braked RHS and started to recover the collapsed side, but the wing entered a parachutal descent. They recovered the LHS, but then the wing turned 180 degrees above them which twisted the lines. PIC decided they were too low to deploy their reserve and focussed on keeping the wing as open as possible. PIC crashed hard into the side of the hill before sighting the ground. An ambulance transported the pilot to Canberra where a CT scan revealed small stable fractures to three vertebrae were sustained. The wing is a recently inspected EN-D wing that takes a great deal of skill to gain control of after a collapse, and a collapse at such a low height is serious, irrespective of the wing. PIC is a very experienced and well-respected pilot who has hundreds of hours flying Spring Hill and is very familiar with their equipment. Others who were flying on the day said the conditions were lightly thermic, but with occasional small punchy ‘rockets’ that came through. The conditions were a little unusual for autumn flying at this site and similar to flying conditions experienced at Canberra in the spring season. If there is one lesson to be learned, it is that accidents can and do happen to anyone at any time. Pilots in the ACT are very much aware that Spring Hill is a thermic site, and caution needs to be taken when flying at a low altitude in thermic conditions. This incident has reinforced this message, which has been extensively discussed in the local flying community and with novice pilots who witnessed the event. A big thanks to the PIC who has shared his experience with others. Fly safe. AIRS Safety Wrap-up