wrote:
On Aug 11, 8:04 pm, Gary Emerson wrote:
Be curious to know what the damage was prior to bailout, etc... and
situation surrounding the contact. Thermaling? Cruising?

Just received an email from the bailout pilot--Mike Brooks of the
Greater Houston Soaring Assoc. This is his account and is being posted
for the educational purpose of understanding what happened, from his
perspective. The investigation into the accident is still ongoing and
this is his basic account (he was flying a Genesis II):

"I was having a nice run into the turnpoint following FT, a Ventus 2.
We had thermalled a bit together before the turnpoint. We made the
turnpoint, and I was still in trail with FT. Shortly after the turn,
FT pulled up into a nice thermal, and I did the same. We were both
established in the thermal at about 5,000 msl and I had about three
turns of strong lift. I then heard a massive bang, and the ship went
out of control immediately to the right. Control inputs didn't help. I
went through a couple of cycles of what might have been an inverted
flat spin before I pulled the canopy latches. The canopy departed as
soon as I pulled the latches - I didn't have to pull the spring
jettison handle. I saw it falling against the background of the earth,
so I know I was inverted at that point. I undid the rotary belts
release and I was out of the cockpit. I found the D-ring and pulled
it, and the chute opened right away. I was probably still in the
thermal because I saw my seat pads and various cockpit stuff floating
around near me. I saw the ship tumbling away below.

I never saw 7U, Bob Carl, who apparently had entered the thermal below
me and pulled up. I was in about a 55 degree bank to the right, and
his left winglet impacted my right wing lower surface. It then dug in
and opened a gash for most of the length of the wing out towards the
tip, taking out the aileron bellcrank and other drive pieces. The gash
was back a bit from the leading edge, and this thin skin folded back
into the airstream and was effectively a spoiler about half the length
of the wing and maybe 8 to a foot high. This is from the FSDO exam of
the pieces."

Anyone know if Bob bailed out or landed?


Shawn