NEAR DEATH - Acro Paragliding going WRONG!!

Acro paragliding trick in strong turbulence went wrong. Left break line got stuck for a moment to break fully. The glider shot to the front and I fell inside.

Next step in paragliding is to use your safety parachute stored in your seat/harness. In aerobatics we even use 2 or 3 extra rescue systems to save ourselves from this kind of situations.
But falling into the paraglider and lines made the rescue parachute openings very difficult.
The falling speed increased a lot due to the twisting wing. Very last chance was to manually open the rescue package. Estimated time (before impact) left about 1-2 seconds. This was not the day to die! Thanks!!!

In acro paragliding we face a lot of tries and errors in learning the tricks. With 2-3 rescue parachutes and a lot of height we can safely train this kind of sport. This occasion is quite unlucky and rare. Just to keep in mind. Fly high, land safe 😉

[TomWatkeys]

My Quick (and speculative) Summary: He's attempting a complicated trick where the lines are intentionally twisted - IE he is facing the opposite direction to his wing, thus making the trick harder and more complicated - nothing wrong with doing so, it's just an advanced trick

IMPORTANT: He is attempting this with LOADS of altitude and has 2 reserves, the only way he could attempt this any safer is to do so over water - so in terms of his own safety, he is quite safe from a setup point of view

What happened: During the trick, he twists under the wing (as intended) but misses the brake point as it comes round, this means the wing will lurch forwards as it tries to accelerate and he pendulums the other way underneath it (this pendulum and overshoot are part of the physics here) but he misses the brake point and doesn't stop the overshoot enough, and thus ends up in the wing - kind of a worst case scenario. I can't tell from the video because his left hand is hidden by the helmet, but there is a chance that the left hand caught on something which affected the brake option (from the description, I assume that is what has occurred)

From the moment he becomes tangled, there are some unfortunate things which occur

1 - Some lines wrap around his helmet camera mount, if they had not done so, he might have had a chance of some inflation on the wing, though it's VERY unlikely as this is a proper Christmas present situation

2 - he initially throws his one reserve, which is absolutely the correct move, however, this reserve fails to open. The fabric container that holds it is supposed to disengage completely (IE it detaches and flies away) but in this case, it stays in place, preventing the reserve from opening

3 - The unopened first reserve then tangles with the glider lines, which makes any chance of it opening very slim

4 - He manages to get to his SECOND reserve parachute, but from the mass of lines and wing around him he can't properly throw it - he has the presence of mind to tear the cover off this one, which is dangerous (as it can open too close to you causing more issues) but with his lack of altitude at this point, it most likely would have taken longer to open, and I personally think this is the right move from him. This one opens correctly, and (like he said) he was about a second away from it being too late.

Takeaways.

1 - The pilot didn't actually do much wrong here, this is part of acro flying (getting tricks wrong) and most experienced acro pilots have had to throw their reserve a few times (go and watch Theo De Blic's montage of them, he's the best acro pilot in the world)

2 - The first reserve was definitely an equipment malfunction, that's either the gear itself, the person who packed it, or an incredibly unlucky set of circumstances (such as an anomaly vortex from the aerodynamics of everything in freefall)

3 - He is lucky, BUT three things contributed to his survival which are very good decision making on his part
a) He is doing this with LOTS of altitude and 2 reserves, you have 2 reserves specifically for if one fails, and you have enough height to try and throw two
b) He throws the first one correctly and at the right moment, if he had waited and THEN thrown it, it still wouldn't have opened, which would have given him less time to throw the second one, so throwing the first one as soon as possible is super important
c) He has the presence of mind to open the container on the second one to ensure it opens

The only way to attempt this trick with more safety is to do so over water, which is what a lot of pilots choose to do - but it could be that he has already mastered this trick over water before, and like he said, a brake line got stuck in this case which is what caused the issue in the first place

Anyway, that is just my speculative breakdown as a lot of people are asking. I get 3 lessons from this

1 - Acro with altitude, over water, with 2 reserves
2 - Stay calm (like him) when something goes wrong
3 - Things that can snag lines/interfere with controls should be removed (camera mounts, watches, etc) when doing acro

[OfficialKoven]

Insane! This is what fighting for your life looks like. Glad you won!

[BUNKERJR]

I am glad that you kept your cool and carried two reserves. You are one fortunate individual. Someone or something was watching over you that day. A one second margin between life and death. Glad that you are alright my man.

[chil]

Spinning that much and staying focused enough to know exactly what to do and what's going on and when, makes it extraordinary. Props to surviving

[kathyignasiak]

What a tangled mess. You did amazing on staying focused and you are very blessed to have had that final second to do what needed to be done.

[AnupomAG]

0:37 It was dangerously close.
I've watched the video several times and to see just one second difference of life and death is crazy terrifying.

I'm glad you made it safe.

[FragCool]

I was already quite sure, to never use a helm mounted GoPro again, but this was really the last nail in the coffin for me.

Thank's for sharing that!
And congratulations to being alive!

[dustyd]

Amazing video! I mean, omg how crazy, but just goes to show never give up no matter what. So glad you were able to walk away with your life!

[gumgl]

Holycow you got lucky... Any idea why both reserves did not come out of their bag? Will you make a longer video breaking down what happened?

[enmodo]

I had that exact type of reserve and never had to use it in anger, great to see it deploy so quickly and flawlessly for you! I hope this is the closest call you ever have to experience!

[jeronimoserna]

Thank god he filmed it because... Cameraman never dies 😎

[markmedley]

I’m glad he is okay. Maybe he should take up another hobby like bird watching after that. I bet he will do it again tomorrow though.

[theresevh]

You saved yourself by not panicking and still trying!! Well done, and Lady Luck was on your side!

[BlaMac]

Well done buddy!!! Glad you made it! I hope to meet you in Rolda next year too! The beer is on me ;)

[saywhat]

Better a bruised butt than a broken neck, awesome save.

[skyscraper]

Never give up, Always keep fighting. Nice work 💪🏻👍🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[Nordi]

Facing the death 😨 glad you survided this! I think I would sell my stuff, if this would happen to me 😂

[csmith]

0:43 looks like a horrible Party Supper Store commercial - ~WTG Buddy~ Nice Save!!!!

[simoneparmeggiani]

And… that’s exactly why I would never ever get into extreme sports.
Glad you made it!

[blakechesbro]

Glad your alive, great job on second reserve deployment.