An example of why all pilots should use checklists...

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

I am sure everyone has seen this in the last few days......hang glider with passenger not connected!

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/hanging-on-for-dear-life-us-man-cheats-death-after-swiss-pilot-forgets-to-attach-him-to

Glad it was a happy ending.

PS, a search online for "Swiss misshap" brings up lots of hits

[Marton K-Sz]

I'm sure that hangglider pilots use checklists too (a flow-type memorized checklist is a valid checklist, just as a written one). I believe he used the wrong one (the no-passenger "solo" memorized checklist) in this case.
I would be more curious about the circumstances (e.g. rush before takeoff, stress factors, tandem-flying experience of the pilot in this particular case, why didn't he ask someone to check the passenger's gear, etc..) that make pilots fail executing the checklists (even the written ones) or to use the wrong one.

[[email protected]]

On Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 1:31:29 PM UTC-5, Marton K-Sz wrote:
> I'm sure that hangglider pilots use checklists too (a flow-type memorized checklist is a valid checklist, just as a written one). I believe he used the wrong one (the no-passenger "solo" memorized checklist) in this case.
> I would be more curious about the circumstances (e.g. rush before takeoff, stress factors, tandem-flying experience of the pilot in this particular case, why didn't he ask someone to check the passenger's gear, etc..) that make pilots fail executing the checklists (even the written ones) or to use the wrong one.

From the HG group discussions, I understand that his wife had just launched tandem with another pilot. Perhaps the mishap HG pilot was focused on getting in the air alongside his passenger's wife and rushed through the hang check and launch sequence?

Unhooked tandem passenger in Canada a couple of years ago did not fair as well :-(.

Danny Brotto

[[email protected]]

When I was flying hang gliders, we would do a "hang check" as the last item before launch. It was considered the most important "checklist" item.
They obviously skipped that part.

It is usually fatal to launch unhooked.

[Ramy[_2_]]

Just like many similar incidents of forgetting things, I bet he used a checklist but something distracted him at a critical point and he missed a crucial item. Forgetting to hook in normally happen when someone unhook from some reason after this step was checked, and forget to hook in again. When I watched first time
I was sure he will attemp a top landing near the houses or in the trees. The part in the article where he was lifted by the wind when attempting to land early is obviously nonesense. He choose to continue to the bottom from whatever reason.

Ramy