SAFA Skysailor Magazine

65 SPRING 2026 | September-October-November SKY SAILOR any brake input to attempt to correct this. Just as the aircraft took off, the wheelbase tipped to the right, nearly toppling, but became airborne in time to prevent this. The wheelbase then swung under the wing and settled. The PIC turned 90º to the right, then 90º to the right, then a further 90º to the right low to the ground, this was with the torque twist of the motor. They flew over the origi- nal launch area with not much increase in height, then travelled straight to the edge of the park towards trees. The wing was seen to be oscillating slightly left to right, along with some altitude gain, which was then lost as they approached the trees, indicating possible turbulent air. PIC turned 90ºs left, then a further 90º left, against the torque twist of the motor and with power still applied. PIC then applied deep left brake, causing the left wing to stall and the glider to spin. The glider then reinflated and surged forward, 80ºs past the wing’s normal flying position. Both, glider and pilot, hit the ground with a large impact, the glider first, followed by the pilot almost immediately afterwards, with the wheelbase unit landing on top of the pilot, impacting the ground at 80º. which caused loss of control. There was a right-wing drop and correction, then a sudden pitch up with a correction. This led to a nosedive onto the runway from about 30ft. PIC was very fortunate to only suffer an arm and shoulder injury; the aircraft was substantially damaged, but has since been repaired. It is believed that PIC triggered or entered a thermal when passing over the threshold and experienced a sudden considerable loss of airspeed landing with a tailwind. This caused a drastic loss of lift. Pilots are advised to assess the intended flight path for possible thermal sources on thermic days and be prepared to rapidly apply power during the final stages of landing. #1577 – PPG wheelbase crash at Skippy Park, Sunshine Coast, Qld/S A low-hours PPG Wheelbase pilot had set up to launch their aircraft around 6pm from Skippy Park (Qld/S). There was a light NE wind at approximately 3 to 5kt. The pilot powered on and the wing came up evenly, but rolled slightly to the right. Whilst travelling forward to take off, the wing oscillated first left and then right, indicating slight mechanical turbulence. The pilot did not appear to have applied