+ Le chant du vario +

I am in Mexico. Yesterday was not an official practice day. There was a practice task that was not organized or condoned in any way by the PWC or the local organizers, just written by a pilot on a board at launch for whoever wanted to fly a task for fun. The air was stable and somewhat nasty, though I found it overall not as rough as Thursday. We started at Divisa, went out on the flats to Aguila, then across the mesa and past town to Elefante. From Aguila to Elefante many routes are possible. Some of us climbed at "the wall", next to the Penon, then took a line along the south edge of the mesa to the east, behind the Penon, turning left before the launch ridge to aim northeast toward Sacamacate, the eastern-most of the volcanic bumps along the north edge of the mesa.

The accident happened perhaps half a minute behind me in this area; when I looked back I happened to see a Boomerang spiraling fast but under control. I was puzzled for a moment, then I thought it must be Torsten Siegel, who I knew was flying a prototype Boom 10 yesterday, goofing around and testing it, because he does things like that. I didn't think any more about it. In fact it was Michael Sigel who was going down to help. He landed nearby, and there was nothing he could do.

The pilot was on an Enzo 2. I have heard about the accident from credible people who have talked to witnesses, but not directly from an actual witness. If anyone reading this saw it, please correct any errors. These are only my understandings. The pilot was apparently flying fast (no one knows how fast), fairly low to the trees, less than 200 meters. Apparently he had a frontal and a reaction that may have put the glider below him. He may have had lines tangle around his harness. He got his reserve out but it did not open in time. He went into the trees in a fast rotation. At some point his helmet came off. He suffered a severe head injury. His helmet was found undamaged nearby.

This pilot was so highly skilled that it is impossible for anyone to brush this off, to say "it couldn't happen to me." Which perhaps can help us all learn something.

Please consider discussion reopened. Please withhold the name of the pilot until we can confirm that his family has been called.

It is a sad day here. I would like to extend my deepest regret and sympathies to all his family and friends. All pilots here are struggling.

PWC ROUND 1 - Valle de Bravo, Mexico
Tomorrow Feb 2cd will be official practice day w/ full task.
First task will now run Monday Feb 3rd
 
Ozone Enzo 2- will not be allowed during this event
 
Icepeak 7 size 24- will be allowed to run tomorrow during practice day and on Monday during first task. If full test report is not received by Monday night, it will be disqualified from this event as well.

Glider changes will be allowed during this event due to this problem.

Voila cest fait tout les pilotes de Enzo 2 exclu

 :averse: Avec tous ces dires, pourrais -tu donner la source de cet info, voire son lien, merci.

 :averse: Avec tous ces dires, pourrais -tu donner la source de cet info, voire son lien, merci.

Après vu qu'Ozone plaide une erreur de production ... perso, je plaiderai la dispersion de production ...

il semblerait que les assureurs  ...

Traduction et synthèse du texte de James Bradley sur paragliding forum.com :

Je suis au Mexique. Il y a eu une manche d'entrainement non organisée par la PWCA. Conditions stables, mais vicieuses, mais moins que jeudi. [Description de la manche.]

L'accident est survenu derrière moi. J'ai vu Michael Sigel atterrir à côté pour apporter de l'aide. Mais il n'a rien pu faire.

Le pilote volait sous Enzo 2. Des gens crédibles ayant parlé à des témoins m'en ont parlé, mais pas des témoins directs. Le pilote volait vite, moins de 200m au-dessus des arbres. Apparemment, il a eu une frontale et une réaction qui l'a fait passer au-dessus de la voile. Sa sellette se serait prise dans des suspentes. Il a envoyé le secours qui n'a pas eu le temps de s'ouvrir. Il est entré dans les arbres en rotation rapide. Il a perdu son casque. Il a eu un trauma crânien important. Le casque a été retrouvé intact à côté.

Le pilote était si talentueux que personne ne peut s'en sortir en arguant que ça ne pourrait pas lui arriver. Ce qui nous aidera peut-être à progresser.

.../...

C'est une triste journée. Condoléances à la famille et aux proches.

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=62269&sid=2602fa6b1587867643634e6f185dfe29

A very sad day indeed.

Effectivement, une bien triste journée.

I was flying a short distance away, at the same altitude and speed as the pilot who crashed and saw the whole incident.
A group of pilots were climbing low over the trees of the Mesa and I was trying to cross to them, probably on about half bar, but arrived a few metres too low and had to fly away, putting me into quite a nasty rotory place. It was at this point I saw the incident.

Je volais pas loin, à la même altitude et à la même vitesse que le pilote accidenté, et j'ai vu tout l'accident. Un groupe montait bas au-dessus des arbres, j'ai essayé de les rejoindre à mi-barreau, mais je suis arrivé trop bas, et j'ai dû fuir, ce qui m'a mis dans des conditions pourries de rotors. C'est à ce moment que j'ai vu l'accident.

He had a collapse of some sort, a small cascade, which then developed into a fast-rotating SAT. I would guess he was about 300m over the ground. The glider became fully inflated after a couple of rotations. At about 30m over the ground the reserve came-out but did not open - there seemed insufficient time. He appeared to miss all the trees which may have helped break his fall.

Il y a eu une fermeture, puis une petite cascade qui a évolué en SAT à rotation rapide. Je l'estime à 300m sol à ce moment-là. La voile s'est ré-ouverte après quelques tours. À environ 30m sol, le secours a été lancé mais ne s'est pas ouvert - sans doute par manque de temps. Il semble avoir évité tous les arbres qui auraient pu freiner sa chute.

Big respect for Michael Sigel for landing to help - it looked like nasty place.

Gros respect pour Michael Sigel qui a atterri pour lui porter secours - Ça avait l'air vraiment moisi.

Je ne pense pas que ce soit à cause de cet accident que l'Enzo 2 soit exclue

Ouais, enfin je ne le comprend pas comme ça, mais plutôt:
"Il existe une possibilité de lien entre la voile et le décès, mais comme on n'ai plus sûr de rien, on préfère ne pas prendre de risque, tant pis pour les pilotes"

Ouais, enfin je ne le comprend pas comme ça, mais plutôt:
"Il existe une possibilité de lien entre la voile et le décès, mais comme on n'ai plus sûr de rien, on préfère ne pas prendre de risque, tant pis pour les pilotes"

John Sutton It seems all wings are allowed except Enzo2 and Ice Peak 7 size 24 at the moment

Il semble que toutes les ailes sont autorisées sauf Enzo2 et Ice Peak 7 taille 24 en ce moment !
Donc meme pas que l'Enzo2 en fait !

Icepeak 7 size 24- will be allowed to run tomorrow during practice day and on Monday during first task. If full test report is not received by Monday night, it will be disqualified from this event as well.

D'ailleurs, selon certaines sources, c'est la version pro qui est en cause ( Max Bellemin, Blog équipe UK), mais d'après le FB de la PWCA, ce n'est pas précisé "Pro".

Goran, on behalf of the PWC said they tried their best to qualify the Enzo 2. Unfortunately, due to the fatality they do not have enough confidence in the glider on top of all the other things that already happened and had to take the decision to ban it from the comp.