A Zoom presentation on possible reasons for a paragliding accident at the Alton Barnes White Horse in the UK on 14 Feb 2023.
Please consider donating to my fundraiser. I’m trying to pay for 2x helicopter rescues. In the UK, air ambulance helicopter rescue is funded by charity only; no government funding. We’re over half way to my goal so we have already paid for an entire rescue! Thank you. ๐๐
https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-williams-air-ambulance
Viewer discretion recommended as the presentation does show indistinct (not graphic) video of me falling 72 feet to the ground and a CT scan image of my broken neck (no nerve damage!).
Apologies for the abrupt ending! I only have the free basic version of Zoom which cuts out at 40 minutes. We’d pretty much finished by that point anyway.
Some pilots have asked about the wind speed on the day. In the UK we tend to fly in quite strong winds, certainly compared to flying in the Alps. This hill is quite low and shallow so needs a decent breeze to make it soarable if there are no thermals. So for this flight I think the wind must have been about 12-14 mph (19-22 kph). I had no issues ground handling and walking with the wing so it wasn’t at all gusty. A short while after the accident a friend top landed and reported the wind to be about 18mph (29kph).
Some of the links mentioned in the video:
BHPA Training Guide (page 8 for paraglider pre-flight checklist)
https://www.bhpa.co.uk/pdf/BHPA_EP_Training_Guide.pdf
My pilot profile in the BHPA monthly magazine, Skywings
https://www.bhpa.co.uk/sport/bhpa/skywings/2112_Dec_2021_Skywings/index.html#page=24
If you have any other questions do add them below and I’ll try to answer them! ๐
31 Comments
Get well soon – I hope you can get back to paragliding soon, you obviously love it. I found SIV really helped me get back into it – actually I don't think I would have stuck with paragliding without Flyeo. They focus as much on the mental side as the skills. I do at least one per year, seventh one coming up this September. I know you said SIV didn't suit you but it's really worth checking Flyeo – very tailor made to suit each pilot. Bon vols!
Excellent analysis. And a great idea to do it. I wonder if there is a bit of an En B so it's safe going on? Is that what you mean by complacency? Of the last gliders I have owned often the B's felt like C's (Golden / Mentor) and the C's felt like B's (Sigma 10 / 11). And one B felt more like a D (Carerra). Probably something to do with why the C's felt like B's tbh. Certainly the C's have been easier to manage on SIV.
Great break down of what you think happened , hopefully it will make pilots think more about their flying.
Ive been flying 23 years and the basics haven't changed, if you dont respect the conditions you will ultimately run out of luck one day and pay the price for complacency , the training has allegedly got better , the wings are better yet the accident and injury/death rates have remained about the same, hmm !
Your film clearly shows how much the wind was off the hill yet loads of pilots/organ donors still flying.
If pilots were falling out of the sky for no reason I would have given up the sport decades ago.
Really glad you survived and wish you a speedy recovery.
I think the harness question was referring to protection. What protection did your harness have and how much of a concern will harness protection be for you going forwards?
Thank goodness you didn't have a passenger, on that flight!
Wind off the hill can work well when hangliding in wave lift.
Great analysis of your accident. Thanks for sharing it with the world.
Thank you for a great break down, if only all pilots would learn to share the knowledge and not worry about hurting their ego, Well done. Wish you all the best and hopefully by Summer in Europe you will be back flying.
Great summary Chris and all the best with the recovery ! I had something similar in Slovenia last year on my Rook 3 Light – heading down the ridge towards Italy, wind more cross than I expected – SW as opposed to S – got into a rotor situation (rather than land out), frontal at about 150m AGL, was on bar and hands on B/CS – my reaction was to come off B/CS and apply brake while glider behind me (not intentional, that was the reflex), glider then shot fwd strongly, I caught it but held on too long and stalled (again) – threw the reserve as by this time weโre 2-3 seconds in and Iโm low – perfect landing, walked outโฆโฆโฆโฆ.but lots of reflection on why I wasnโt able to correct it + recent SIVs.
Cheers for sharing !
Hi Chris. Great video – thanks very much for sharing! I hope your recovery is going well?
I think there is another consideration here too, which is winter boundary layer conditions.
In the winter we have less thermal mixing in the bottom of the boundary layer. This can lead to rotors near the surface being relatively speaking, sharper edged and more persistent than in similar wind strengths and directions under more thermic spring and summer conditions when we tend to be flying in a non-laminar buoyant thermic zone near the surface. This can be a particular problem in wave scenarios, where laminar faster upper air and lower speed surface air can suddenly mix violently, but it's also a consideration when there is a nearby rotor generating feature and no upper air mixing.
I wish a perfect recovery. I had spine compression due to my agressive landing on my Oxa1 which is super safe. I touched a tree branch and that spinned me down than heli rescue and 1 year of full recovery. Still flying , I made big mistake just at landing phase. The swing I made was to agressive. Total piloting error of mine. Rook 3 is bombproof
Glad you're back on your feet Chris.
May I ask which harness you were flying?
Did you land on your legs or bottom or back?
I hope you are doing well and are not in pain… Get well!
Do you plan on flying again?
I hope you get fixed up quickly and back in the air when youโre fit and ready again. Thank you for the full and honest breakdown of your incident. This type of analysis is so important and will definitely help and potentially save new pilots like myself as well as the seasoned pros. Also well done to your flying buddies for doing such a fantastic job at the scene. Thank you and best wishes. ๐
It takes strong individual to share and discuss an accident. Especially considering your incredible background in aviation too. Some folks let ego and pride get in the way of a potential learning experience, but for those of us who havenโt encountered this scenario: thank you! Your story will undoubtedly help your fellow pilots and might even save lives too. Wishing the best on your recovery and future health.
nice analysis, thank you. 1. what was your pior experience of flying in strong turbulent conditions e.g lee sides, strong thermals – ever had a frontal before? 2. if you did just 2 sivs over all those years, I would assume you were not current/properly trained for insinctively handling incidents like the frontal collapse. I believe that one may make a mistake and get into shitty air, thus one shall be prepared/trained how to handle wing that is not flying gently obove head anymore. I also had once an similar adventure, but much higher thus got luckier outcome, and after this I have spend 1 year only flying siv and acro over water, I also felt ithis training very unconfortable/scary at the begnning, but pushing through I got used to it and then started having fun falling from the skies ๐ Then, I had real collapses after this training and I see that identifing what is going on and reacting to it got instinctive, correct and much faster. I wish you prompt recovery, and once its done, then do a lot of siv /acro ๐
Iโm going to contribute- your video will probably save many lives. I will walk every day with you. Well, remotely from Chicago. When do we start?
Thanks for sharing the incident. As a pilot for over 30years and a recent โborn againโ paraglider pilot, I am wondering about getting born again now! Iโve been involved in the retrieval of several downed paraglider pilots and every one was a serious incident. I remember my first paragliding instructor and former champion describing getting โdumpedโ on a hill. Harnesses used to have โairbagsโ, what happened to them? I was thinking of doing some alpine training but the rotor from those jagged edges must be huge compared to the soft edges you just got thumped on? Did you encounter any rotor in Bavaria and if so how did the teaching differ? Wishing you a speedy recovery and good luck with your walk.
What better response to an accident,than to analyse and illustrate for other pilots. WELL DONE.
I don`t personally know you but i`m so glad you are alive and recovering sir! I can`t thank you enough for this video. I`m a beginner bhpa Italian 34 y.o. pilot who flies in the south downs (mostly Caburn) and i`m trying to learn as much as i can, this was invaluable information. I have a couple of questions for you or anyone reading if it`s not too much to ask
1) I fly a low EN-B, does that make me safer than a high EN-B? I don`t intend to ever upgrade my wing if that adds some safety, i`m even ready to go back to EN-A
2) Considering that the site is facing south, was the wind initially coming from the south too or is there a slope facing south east? or did you launch in crosswind?
Just to reiterate you are a hero in my eyes, i wish you all the best for your recovery and life in general
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience chris! I hope youโll recover soon and can enjoy this beautifull sport again. All the best and greetings from the netherlands!
Thank for Sharing! It is not obvious to share one's mistakes. In this wonderful sport, we grow and strengthen ourselves by remaining humble and through the exchange of information and experiences, it's a process of endless learning. Thank you again and I hope to see you soon in blue skies.
Apart from helmets, what other protective equipment exists for paragliding? Helite make airbags for horse, bicycle and motorcycle riders. These use crash sensing algorithms which Iยดm sure could be adapted for flying. Get well soon!
Thanks for sharing. For someone who is new to the sport itโs good to be shown the risks. I hope youโre recovery is progressing well.
Thanks for share your experience
Thanks for sharing that really bad experience and the attempt of an exact reconstruction. You did an excellent job with that video!
Especially in these spring times with gusty winds and strong thermal itโs a very very good wake-up call.
Wish you a perfect healing without consequences!
thank you kindly to share your experience, well made video. I hope you recover well
Spring air is nothing to play around with. I turned down a flight just for this reason last week. If I'm not feeling it, skies look dark and it's Spring time. No shame in the game, I'll sit it out that day…summer is just around the corner.
Thanks for sharing this experience Chris. I like the dancing with devils analogy. Get well soon.
Explains it all, you were a Crab ๐๐๐๐