On 6/24/2013 4:13 AM, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Monday, June 24, 2013 2:26:16 AM UTC-4, Ramy wrote:
from what he described he did the right thing by initiating S turns so I am puzzled what cause the actual crash?

From TA's article:
" ...Unfortunately, as I completed the turn with my right wing *****parallel***** to the mountain, I discovered that I was being pushed right into the mountain, and almost immediately hit two very tall pine trees..."

By my understanding of a correctly executed S-turn, the right wing would never be PARALLEL to the face of the mountain (the ridge). If I understand what Frank is trying to say, he intended to turn 225 degrees to execute the first half of a classic S-turn, but the glider turned 270 degrees and thus lost the advantages of a classic S-turn (whereby the glider approaches the ridge 45 degrees from perpendicular thus allowing more time, and requiring less time, to turn away from the ridge.)



I think he means he was in, for example, a 30 degree bank away from the
mountain, and the mountain at that point had a 30 degree slope. That is
what he means by "parallel."