Woman killed in B.C. hang gliding fall. - Hang Gliding Org - Worlds largest Hang Gliding community, discover Hang Gliding

Search

  • Sorry...You must register to activate searching









Post new topic   Reply to topic    Hang Gliding Org Forum Index -> Incident Reports->Woman killed in B.C. hang gliding fall.
BURY this topic
View previous topic :: View next topic  
michael170
1 thumbs up
1 thumbs up


Joined: 25 Mar 2012
Posts: 142
Location: norcal

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:14 pm    Post subject: Woman killed in B.C. hang gliding fall. Reply with quote #1   
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/04/29/bc-hang-glider-death.html
Send private message  Rate this post
IdeFly
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 97
Location: Arizona

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #2   
tragic. Crying or Very sad
Send private message  Rate this post
davisstraub
1 thumbs up
1 thumbs up


Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 1713
Location: Boise, Idaho

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #3   




_________________
Davis Straub at the Oz Report


Last edited by davisstraub on Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
Send private message  Rate this post
Manta_Dreaming
1 thumbs up
1 thumbs up


Joined: 03 Jan 2012
Posts: 443

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #4   
"Lenami Godinez, who was trying the sport for the first time on popular Mount Woodside in the Fraser Valley, apparently fell to her death just moments after takeoff.

Godinez and her Canadian boyfriend had hired a professional pilot to take her up in tandem but she somehow came loose from the harness and fell hundreds of metres."

Terrible.
Condolences to her family and friends.

_________________
Mountains always have the right of way.

If you've never forgotten anything in your life, you don't need to do a hook-in check.

You're going to die anyway so you might as well fly.
Send private message  Rate this post
liftlover
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 28 May 2010
Posts: 304
Location: Bay Area

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #5   
How? was she not hooked in? or was the harness too big? WTF! nobody should die on a rotine flight, but I know that it happens.
"Godinez and her Canadian boyfriend had hired a professional pilot to take her up in tandem but she somehow came loose from the harness and fell hundreds of metres"
still, it don't seem right, legloops! Sad

_________________
See ya up there!

First flight 6/72-free flight standard 17'. free flight Sierra, 1,2,& 3. wills wing swallowtail, quicksilver 3, icaro relax, wills wing U2, h4 then back to h4 now. with my head in the clouds.
Send private message Blog  Rate this post
krizz9
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 15 Feb 2012
Posts: 105
Location: Atlanta, GA

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #6   
Terrible. If anyone has any more info I'd like to know what went wrong.
_________________
H2, Pulse 10
Send private message  Rate this post
michael170
1 thumbs up
1 thumbs up


Joined: 25 Mar 2012
Posts: 142
Location: norcal

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #7   
krizz9 wrote:
Terrible. If anyone has any more info I'd like to know what went wrong.


Gross negligence. Utter incompetence.
Send private message  Rate this post
Darbbb
2 thumbs up
2 thumbs up


Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Posts: 849
Location: Western Maryland

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #8   
How terrible....condolences to her family.
_________________
H2
WW Eagle 180
Send private message  Rate this post
knumbknuts
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Posts: 5004
Location: Carlsbad, CA

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #9   
Does it get any worse?

Heartbreaking.
Send private message Blog  Rate this post
Manta_Dreaming
1 thumbs up
1 thumbs up


Joined: 03 Jan 2012
Posts: 443

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #10   
knumbknuts wrote:
Does it get any worse?

Heartbreaking.


If it happened in the US, I'm sure it would adversely affect our USHGPA insurance.

_________________
Mountains always have the right of way.

If you've never forgotten anything in your life, you don't need to do a hook-in check.

You're going to die anyway so you might as well fly.
Send private message  Rate this post
dave hopkins
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 25 Dec 2010
Posts: 719

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote #11   
Manta_Dreaming wrote:
numbnuts wrote:
Does it get any worse?

Heartbreaking.


If it happened in the US, I'm sure it would adversely affect our USHGPA insurance.


Yeah! No doubt, it would be the end of it !
Heads up, stay safe we are all in this together.

Dave
Send private message  Rate this post
tom emery
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 24 Sep 2011
Posts: 634
Location: san diego

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:42 am    Post subject: Condolences Reply with quote #12   
Tragic. My heart goes out to her family. Does anyone have contact information to send a condolence card?
Send private message  Rate this post
NMERider
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 07 Apr 2008
Posts: 7364

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:17 am    Post subject: Re: Condolences Reply with quote #13   
tom emery wrote:
Tragic. My heart goes out to her family. Does anyone have contact information to send a condolence card?

There is a memorial Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lenami-Godinez-Memorial-Page/372299342822760
& blog: http://stuland.blogspot.ca/2012/04/remembering-lenami.html
Sad Sad
Send private message Blog  Rate this post
Jason
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 02 Jan 2007
Posts: 7532
Location: Stapleton, Colorado

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #14   
I don't understand how this could happen.
_________________
TSA, DHS, NDAA and SOPA Seig Heil!
Send private message  Rate this post
NMERider
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 07 Apr 2008
Posts: 7364

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #15   
Jason wrote:
I don't understand how this could happen.
It wasn't entirely clear to me but from listening to the witness, it sounded as if her caribiner disconnected to the hang strap. If she really held on to the pilot as long as it seemed I wonder whether he had time to dive toward treetops which may have given her better odds of surviving. I wonder if and when we will get all the facts.

Does anyone recall the incident in Brazil a few years ago where that tandem instructor launched with himself unhooked? He threw his reserve and the American tourist not only got an exciting ride into the trees but he still wanted the full flight that he'd paid for.
Send private message Blog  Rate this post
krizz9
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 15 Feb 2012
Posts: 105
Location: Atlanta, GA

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #16   
NMERider wrote:
Jason wrote:
I don't understand how this could happen.
It wasn't entirely clear to me but from listening to the witness, it sounded as if her caribiner disconnected to the hang strap.


Makes me wonder why we have a backup hangstrap but only one caribiner. I haven't heard of anyones hang strap breaking, so as unlikely as that would be we still use the backup, so why wouldn't it be the same for the caribiner? crazy

Then again, I guess in that case it may come down to someone wearing a PFD while swimming and backup rubber ducky floaties on their arms. How much headache are you willing to go through for that wee bit of extra safety?

_________________
H2, Pulse 10
Send private message  Rate this post
jjcote
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 01 Dec 2007
Posts: 3216
Location: Lunenburg, MA, USA

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #17   
I may be wrong, but I don't think there has ever been steel locking carabiner that broke when being used to connect a harness to a hang glider. (There are people who use an additional link between the harness and the reserve parachute.)

We'll have to wait for further reports, but it sounds like the most likely cause of this accident was the same thing that is usually the cause: at launch, the passenger's carabiner was not properly connected to the hang strap.

_________________
H4 + various skills (only foot-launch so far)
WW UltraSport 147, WW Falcon2 170, PacAir Vision Mark IV 17
My HG wiki profile and my flying blog
Send private message Blog  Rate this post
ChattaroyMan
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 01 Nov 2009
Posts: 1798
Location: Chattaroy, WA -USA

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #18   
krizz9 wrote:
Makes me wonder why we have a backup hangstrap but only one caribiner. I haven't heard of anyones hang strap breaking, so as unlikely as that would be we still use the backup, so why wouldn't it be the same for the caribiner?


I used to always fly with 2 carabiners - then I heard one could interfere with the other. I don't recall the source of this information.

_________________
U2 160 • Chattaroy, WA - USA
Send private message  Rate this post
krizz9
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 15 Feb 2012
Posts: 105
Location: Atlanta, GA

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #19   
jjcote wrote:
We'll have to wait for further reports, but it sounds like the most likely cause of this accident was the same thing that is usually the cause: at launch, the passenger's carabiner was not properly connected to the hang strap.


So sad, it seems like that is always the cause of accidents. If you can only check one thing before you take off, I'd think being properly secured to the hang glider would be it. In this case though that wouldn't be the responsibility of the student, but the instructor. You're right though, until more info comes out I don't want to point fingers at anyone.

_________________
H2, Pulse 10
Send private message  Rate this post
NMERider
3 thumbs up
3 thumbs up


Joined: 07 Apr 2008
Posts: 7364

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote #20   
jjcote wrote:
....(There are people who use an additional link between the harness and the reserve parachute.)...
The additional link may cause issues w/ the stitching on both bridles if the glider pulls the caribiner off in a third direction. This may cause a peeling force on the stitching. It may be safer to use a loop of climbing rope that is a little longer than the caribiner to avoid this issue.

On another note, I feel really bad for that tandem pilot. Since I don't have the facts I won't speculate but I would not want to be in his shoes no matter what the case.
Send private message Blog  Rate this post
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Hang Gliding Org Forum Index -> Incident Reports
 
All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3 ... 9, 10, 11  Next
Page 1 of 11


 
Jump to:  


(c) HangGliding.org All rights reserved. Based on PhpBB