On May 1.5.2014, 17.20, at approximately 56:XNUMX p.m., a tragic accident involving a XNUMX-year-old woman occurred on the Velký Javorník terrain in the Beskydy Mountains. She was a long-time, experienced pilot with a Sports Pilot qualification.
The critical flight was the pilot's second flight that day, preceded by one failed takeoff attempt. Shortly after take-off, the pilot slipped out of her harness and after a futile attempt to hold on to the PK straps, she fell from a height of approx. 100-150m into the forest. The pilot suffered fatal injuries.
The initial investigation showed that the HAWAII (manufactured by MAC Para Technology) type harness (kayak type seat) did not have the leg straps on, nor the chest straps. The lectern, wetsuit, and chest clip that holds the shoulder straps together were on.
An investigation test found that with the configuration set above, the pilot has the illusion that everything is properly switched on and the take-off can be carried out. The only safe check is to PHYSICALLY feel the straps and see that they are properly fastened, in accordance with the five-point check rule.
This accident is under investigation and for a final statement it is of course necessary to rule out a technical fault.
It is necessary to realize that methodological procedures and recommendations, many of which have also made it into the regulations (see the five-point control in PL3) are written and enforced on the basis of similar accidents, and are therefore, without exaggeration, "written in blood". I ask all pilots to follow the prescribed procedures and not just take them as a bureaucratic invention of officials and instructors, so that there is something to learn. Paradoxically, the more experienced and confident the pilot, the higher the possibility of error. A physical check of the fastening of the straps is always necessary, before every start.
I believe that this really terrible and completely unnecessary accident will help some "wind-fearers" with self-discipline and other similar events will no longer appear in the statistics.
