--- In FLYBCC@yahoogroups.com, "Ken Wilkinson" <kwilkinson2000@...>
wrote:
>
> I spoke to Mark Pearson and he told me of the accident on Merthyr.
> Apparently the wind switched and he was dragged over the take off
> cliffs and broke 3 ribs, punctured a lung and has some possible
> bleeding in the skull tho he seemed to think this wasnt going to be
a
> long term problem. Best wishes to Gary.
>
> Ken W
>
Hi to everyone. I thought I had better let you all know how I am
doing after the accident at Merthyr Common.
As most of you know, I am out of hospital and getting back on my feet
again. I have a couple of cracked vertebrae as well so may not be
able to finnish the BCC flying this year. Sorry if I frightened
anyone at the BP Cup meeting at Crickhowell the other weekend, Haha.
I look a bit like Darth Vader with the neck and back brace.
To let you all know the reasons for the accident as well as I can, as
I think it will help others in future, I hope anyway?
The wind was light and a bit too southerly, so having inflated the
wing and deciding to wait a few minutes for it to pick up a bit, a
few of us dropped our wings behind us and sat with our wings in an
arc ready to go!
a couple of minutes later I noticed my wing coming passed my vision
to my right. I was getting up and reaching for my outers right lines,
I called to the others to my left and right to grab their wings, as
mine had sped up, along the ground still, but getting close to the
front edge! I pulled on my outside right line, to keep it down and
deflate any wind in the wing, to my surprise, it tugged me off my
feet and onto the rock on top of the edge? the next thing I knew was,
looking at my wing below me? and then being ripped off the rock, I
was holding on quite hard as well? At no time, did I have time, to
see any problem approaching. The winds were too light before and
about 230 240, what took me off the top was from 90` and did not pick
up my wing from the ground at all? it just felt like a helicopter had
landed behind me with no noise. I would say the force that took me
was like 28mph plus. certainly not ground handling wind. Adam Collis,
who was in front and to my right did not seem as badly affected, do
not know who was to my left? but think they were ok as well.
If it was a freak wind? then we should all be aware, it happens and I
for one will not get caught out again. I have been lucky and should
be able to fly again.
But I will always be mushrooming my wing and at least sitting on it,
if not unclipping entirely in future, unless I am about to take off.
We are all guilty of it. Testing the wind, letting the wing drop back
and then sitting there waiting for it to pick up!! Just think back
and admit the last time you did? At least 4 broken ribs. Puntured
lung. 2 Crushed vertebrae. 3 weeks in hospital flat on your back! and
a couple of months at least off work. Plus and this is the most
important. No flying.
Regards to all
Gary Cooper.
P.S.
Having said all that, I did have a cracking day before that.
I saw the 2 go off on a nice thermal off the factory, and then 2
passed it and landed in the field behind?
I decided to have a go at the thermal and took off. I found it just
as the earlier 2 had. And managed to stay in it to 3500ft, I saw the
other guy coming up, and stayed with my thermal going around the
factory. I noticed the other guy towards the common was getting a lot
more lift than me, so decided to join him, I could not reach him so I
decided to stay around the hill. A mistake I will not make again, I
hope, I landed a while later, Had to walk up from the front as well,
the wind had got so light at take off. the lucky ones had already
left.
And Just to prove that all statistics are lies...... clearly if your name is Gary you are more likely to be injured on a paraglider!!
