Ridge Soaring accident

[John Brenann]

Any word on the condition of the pilot who crashed
yesterday?

[[email protected]]

On Apr 17, 6:55 pm, John Brenann
> wrote:
> Any word on the condition of the pilot who crashed
> yesterday?

Dale Kramer crashed into the ridge yesterday. He was on the mountain
all night with significant injuries. Details are sketchy but
apparently an EMT got to the sight some time during the night and was
able to provide support.(IV etc}. Dale was extricated from the sight
today and taken to the hospital. Description was significant injuries
but alive and ?stable ? guarded. Hopefully more news tomorrow.

rich chesser
6u

[Jack]

wrote:
> On Apr 17, 6:55 pm, John Brenann
> > wrote:
>> Any word on the condition of the pilot who crashed
>> yesterday?
>
> Dale Kramer crashed into the ridge yesterday. He was on the mountain
> all night with significant injuries. Details are sketchy but
> apparently an EMT got to the sight some time during the night and was
> able to provide support.(IV etc}. Dale was extricated from the sight
> today and taken to the hospital. Description was significant injuries
> but alive and ?stable ? guarded. Hopefully more news tomorrow.



"Search teams zeroed in on the glider's homing beacon,
and found him around 10:30 a.m. ...."


Homing beacon, eh? Maybe I should get one of those.



Jack

[[email protected]]

There was a very serious glider accident Monday morning involving a
glider flying along the Bald Eagle Ridge. The winds were very strong
with gusts as high as 50 Kts and there was lots of rain and snow. The
flight originated at Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The pilot was seriously injured with broken leg and arm along with
other injuries. He did have an ELT, and his cell phone did work
briefly until a local cell tower was damaged by the high winds.

The search team was unable to locate the pilot all day and called off
the search Monday evening due to extremely high winds and snow/poor
visibility. They resumed the search this morning and found him. It
took most of Tuesday to retrieve the pilot so a helicopter could take
him to a hospital where it is expected he will recover.

The bottom line is the pilot spent a day and a half alone in the
wilderness even though he had an operating ELT. Without an ELT it
might have been several days before he was found. In some conditions,
the glider might not be found for months.

If you fly - especially cross country - and even more especially if
you fly over hostile terrain, you owe it to those who will search for
you to carry a signaling device in your glider.

New low cost Personal GPS ELT devices are now available, and they are
not so expensive. Check out our web site www.eglider.org. I have
placed on the home page, the Aerofix 406 Personal ELT. It is small and
we sell it for less than anyone I am aware of at $549.95

The pilot must turn on these Personal ELT devices. They do not go off
themselves when you crash. However, most survivable accidents do not
disable the pilot entirely. You should also have an aircraft ELT
installed in your glider. Even these devices may not go off depending
on how the glider crashes. The personal ELT can be attached to your
parachute so the rescue team will find you and not your aircraft.

While you are at it - review your emergency kit items to see if they
are up to date. Don't forget a whistle!

On our home page, near the bottom, click on "news articles" and review
the article about emergency kits. There are suggested items you should
consider carrying in your glider.


Thomas Knauff

phone 814 355 2483
fax 814 355 2633
www.eglider.org
Sign up for our free newsletter.

[Ian Cant]

Could not agree more about the desirability of good
location aids. Although the personal locator beacon
has the disadvantage of needing manual activation [which
in some situations might not be possible] it also has
the advantage that it can be activated in advance -
for instance, when facing a certain landing in dangerous
terrain, it could be activated on final approach, ensuring
a signal is sent out even if the landing is disastrous
and the ELT fails to activate on impact. Also, the
much better location accuracy with GPS should lead
to a quicker find - this accident apparently happened
quite early in the day but the ELT limitations did
not ensure location of the pilot before nightfall.

Both systems have some limitations, having both is
perfection, having at least one is good common sense
for most X-C flight.

Ian





At 13:48 18 April 2007, wrote:
>
>There was a very serious glider accident Monday morning
>involving a
>glider flying along the Bald Eagle Ridge. The winds
>were very strong
>with gusts as high as 50 Kts and there was lots of
>rain and snow. The
>flight originated at Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
>
>The pilot was seriously injured with broken leg and
>arm along with
>other injuries. He did have an ELT, and his cell phone
>did work
>briefly until a local cell tower was damaged by the
>high winds.
>
>The search team was unable to locate the pilot all
>day and called off
>the search Monday evening due to extremely high winds
>and snow/poor
>visibility. They resumed the search this morning and
>found him. It
>took most of Tuesday to retrieve the pilot so a helicopter
>could take
>him to a hospital where it is expected he will recover.
>
>The bottom line is the pilot spent a day and a half
>alone in the
>wilderness even though he had an operating ELT. Without
>an ELT it
>might have been several days before he was found. In
>some conditions,
>the glider might not be found for months.
>
>If you fly - especially cross country - and even more
>especially if
>you fly over hostile terrain, you owe it to those who
>will search for
>you to carry a signaling device in your glider.
>
>New low cost Personal GPS ELT devices are now available,
>and they are
>not so expensive. Check out our web site www.eglider.org.
>I have
>placed on the home page, the Aerofix 406 Personal ELT.
>It is small and
>we sell it for less than anyone I am aware of at $549.95
>
>The pilot must turn on these Personal ELT devices.
>They do not go off
>themselves when you crash. However, most survivable
>accidents do not
>disable the pilot entirely. You should also have an
>aircraft ELT
>installed in your glider. Even these devices may not
>go off depending
>on how the glider crashes. The personal ELT can be
>attached to your
>parachute so the rescue team will find you and not
>your aircraft.
>
>While you are at it - review your emergency kit items
>to see if they
>are up to date. Don't forget a whistle!
>
>On our home page, near the bottom, click on 'news articles'
>and review
>the article about emergency kits. There are suggested
>items you should
>consider carrying in your glider.
>
>
>Thomas Knauff

>phone 814 355 2483
>fax 814 355 2633
>www.eglider.org
>Sign up for our free newsletter.
>
>
>
>

[Karl Striedieck]

As of 4PM Thursday afternoon, Dale is in good hands and doing fine.

His injuries were a simple fracture of the left upper arm, a simple fracture
of the upper left leg, a complicated fracture(s) of the area just above the
left ankle, and frostbite of both feet.

He is in the University of Pittsburgh Trauma Center, having arrived there
via stretcher, ambulance, two helicopters and a Lear jet. The first of x
number of operations was today to deal with the ankle. The team of surgeons
is still mapping the plan for total repair, but there have been no setbacks,
Dale is healthy and the future looks to be "routine" if that is the proper
word.

There were four key components to Dale's survival, anyone of which missing
would have probably doomed him: A functioning ELT, a mobile (cell)phone,
Dale's instinct for survival, and John Good.

Dale was able to make a crucial phone call to Carmen who got the news to
John Good who had just aborted the flight at Bedford Airport and who
immediately went to work organizing the rescue. He then went to the area of
the search and worked with the CAP, EMS and police out of a house at the
foot of the ridge where they suspected Dale to be.

The details recounted by Dale in the Cumberland hospital were voluminous and
it was a riveting experience for those of us with him to hear about it and
listen to his matter-of-fact account.

Hopefully, someday everyone will be able to read Dale and John's report on
this. It will be good reading. And it will include such frustrations as
Dale's life and death attempts to preserve his cell phone battery only to
have the FAA call (twice!) requesting such crucial information as glider
serial number, number of persons on board, etc., etc. And Dale's hours-long
efforts to dig a hole under his left arm, to get his chute out and around
him, to engineer (unsuccessfully) some way to get power to his cell phone
via the logger battery or ship's microphone, and all this while lying on a
45 degree slope with his left leg trapped in the nose of the inverted
wreckage above him. And, near the top (4,200') of a remote, forested ridge
with sub freezing winds blowing 60 mph.

John Good can better reveal the rescue side of the event, with all the
bureacratic frustrations and delays and ultimate success. Suffice it to say,
John saved a life.

Karl Striedieck







"Ian Cant" > wrote in message
...
> Could not agree more about the desirability of good
> location aids. Although the personal locator beacon
> has the disadvantage of needing manual activation [which
> in some situations might not be possible] it also has
> the advantage that it can be activated in advance -
> for instance, when facing a certain landing in dangerous
> terrain, it could be activated on final approach, ensuring
> a signal is sent out even if the landing is disastrous
> and the ELT fails to activate on impact. Also, the
> much better location accuracy with GPS should lead
> to a quicker find - this accident apparently happened
> quite early in the day but the ELT limitations did
> not ensure location of the pilot before nightfall.
>
> Both systems have some limitations, having both is
> perfection, having at least one is good common sense
> for most X-C flight.
>
> Ian
>
>
>
>
>
> At 13:48 18 April 2007, wrote:
>>
>>There was a very serious glider accident Monday morning
>>involving a
>>glider flying along the Bald Eagle Ridge. The winds
>>were very strong
>>with gusts as high as 50 Kts and there was lots of
>>rain and snow. The
>>flight originated at Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
>>
>>The pilot was seriously injured with broken leg and
>>arm along with
>>other injuries. He did have an ELT, and his cell phone
>>did work
>>briefly until a local cell tower was damaged by the
>>high winds.
>>
>>The search team was unable to locate the pilot all
>>day and called off
>>the search Monday evening due to extremely high winds
>>and snow/poor
>>visibility. They resumed the search this morning and
>>found him. It
>>took most of Tuesday to retrieve the pilot so a helicopter
>>could take
>>him to a hospital where it is expected he will recover.
>>
>>The bottom line is the pilot spent a day and a half
>>alone in the
>>wilderness even though he had an operating ELT. Without
>>an ELT it
>>might have been several days before he was found. In
>>some conditions,
>>the glider might not be found for months.
>>
>>If you fly - especially cross country - and even more
>>especially if
>>you fly over hostile terrain, you owe it to those who
>>will search for
>>you to carry a signaling device in your glider.
>>
>>New low cost Personal GPS ELT devices are now available,
>>and they are
>>not so expensive. Check out our web site www.eglider.org.
>>I have
>>placed on the home page, the Aerofix 406 Personal ELT.
>>It is small and
>>we sell it for less than anyone I am aware of at $549.95
>>
>>The pilot must turn on these Personal ELT devices.
>>They do not go off
>>themselves when you crash. However, most survivable
>>accidents do not
>>disable the pilot entirely. You should also have an
>>aircraft ELT
>>installed in your glider. Even these devices may not
>>go off depending
>>on how the glider crashes. The personal ELT can be
>>attached to your
>>parachute so the rescue team will find you and not
>>your aircraft.
>>
>>While you are at it - review your emergency kit items
>>to see if they
>>are up to date. Don't forget a whistle!
>>
>>On our home page, near the bottom, click on 'news articles'
>>and review
>>the article about emergency kits. There are suggested
>>items you should
>>consider carrying in your glider.
>>
>>
>>Thomas Knauff

>>phone 814 355 2483
>>fax 814 355 2633
>>www.eglider.org
>>Sign up for our free newsletter.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>

[Eric Greenwell]

Ian Cant wrote:
> Could not agree more about the desirability of good
> location aids. Although the personal locator beacon
> has the disadvantage of needing manual activation [which
> in some situations might not be possible] it also has
> the advantage that it can be activated in advance -
> for instance, when facing a certain landing in dangerous
> terrain, it could be activated on final approach, ensuring
> a signal is sent out even if the landing is disastrous
> and the ELT fails to activate on impact.

All ELT's have a manual activation switch, so they can also be activated
by the pilot in the situation Ian describes. I hadn't thought about
doing this with mine, but it sounds like a good idea. The post-landing
checklist should have "Check ELT" on it, so the pilot would remember to
deactivate after landing if it's not needed.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

[danlj]

On Apr 21, 1:37 pm, Eric Greenwell > wrote:
> Ian Cant wrote:
> > ...Although the personal locator beacon
> > has the disadvantage of needing manual activation [which
> > in some situations might not be possible] it also has
> > the advantage that it can be activated in advance -
> > for instance, when facing a certain landing in dangerous
> > terrain, it could be activated on final approach, ensuring
> > a signal is sent out even if the landing is disastrous
> > and the ELT fails to activate on impact.
>
> All ELT's have a manual activation switch, so they can also be activated
> by the pilot in the situation Ian describes. I hadn't thought about
> doing this with mine, but it sounds like a good idea. The post-landing
> checklist should have "Check ELT" on it, so the pilot would remember to
> deactivate after landing if it's not needed.
>
> --
> Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
> * Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
> * "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
> * "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org

The ELT normally has a three-position switch if it's switchable: "on"
"arm" and "off" If you turn it "on" it continuously emits a distress
call and beeps loudly. The distress call will activate search and
rescue efforts, beginning with an attempt to discover whether it's a
false alarm (since most ELT activations are inadvertent). While this
act may seem like a safety measure, the side effects may overload the
emergency response system if all us glider pilots start doing this for
every landing. Rather, perhaps it should be routine to turn it "on"
as the initial step in committing to an off-airport landing, turning
it "off" after landing if all is OK.

And Tom Knauf is right, a GPS-equipped 406mHz personal locator beacon
is cheap life insurance, and less than the cost of the parachute to
which it should be attached, which we also hope not to be needing.

Dan Johnson

[Eric Greenwell]

danlj wrote:

(some deletions)

>> Ian Cant wrote:
>>> it also has
>>> the advantage that it can be activated in advance -
>>> for instance, when facing a certain landing in dangerous
>>> terrain, it could be activated on final approach, ensuring
>>> a signal is sent out even if the landing is disastrous
>>> and the ELT fails to activate on impact.
>
> The ELT normally has a three-position switch if it's switchable: "on"
> "arm" and "off" If you turn it "on" it continuously emits a distress
> call and beeps loudly. The distress call will activate search and
> rescue efforts, beginning with an attempt to discover whether it's a
> false alarm (since most ELT activations are inadvertent). While this
> act may seem like a safety measure, the side effects may overload the
> emergency response system if all us glider pilots start doing this for
> every landing. Rather, perhaps it should be routine to turn it "on"
> as the initial step in committing to an off-airport landing, turning
> it "off" after landing if all is OK.

Both Ian and I agree with you, as Ian's comment makes clear the manual
activation is for a potentially disastrous landing, not every landing.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

[ContestID67]

On the survival kit thread can anyone tell me what items that Dale had
in his survival kit? What items did he use and need? What items does
he feel he should have had with him?

http://www.geocities.com/jhderosa/aviation/survival/

- John