Helicopter pickup at Sherman Island

kitecrazy · Post by **kitecrazy** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:39 pm

My intention for bringing this up is not to intrude on the privacy of the victim. If it was a kiter, I sincerely hope they will have a full recovery and are not out too long. If it was a boater, same deal.

This was observed from the Baja road launch (everyone there was equally concerned): At about 6:40 there was a fire truck and ambulance that blasted down the levee road to the county park. Minutes later a Calstar helicopter landed in the parking lot. About 10 minutes passed and the helicopter took off headed for Concord, I can only assume John Muir Hospital. For at least an hour and a half before the incident the wind had picked up quite a bit as our wind meter was reading 25-30, the upper limit of sensitivity.

Assuming this is kite related, for those who were close by what could have been done to prevent the incident? Was gross negligence the cause? Gear malfunction/failure?
Let's all learn from what happened so that the parking lot does not need to be a heli-pad in the future.

Yoda · Post by **Yoda** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 2:03 am

Sadly it was a kiteboarder who suffered major injuries from a lofting incident. I was one of a few people to unfortunatly see the incident take place from the very beginning. I ended up being the one that had to cover the exact details of the incident with the paramedics. Unfortunately it happened so fast that there was nothing anyone could of done. Maybe the first sign that there was trouble myself or someone could of yelled "let go of the bar", but by the time I could of got a word out he was already in the air.

Details: It looked like he accidently pulled his CL release, but continued to hold tightly onto the control bar instead of letting it go. However due to the way he was lofted and the evidence of the CL being released, but apparently stuck on the CL hook, it looks that he may still have been somewhat attached to the kite... which makes sense why the kite wasn't simply ripped from his hands. It looked like when the CL poped loose the effect of the bar partially sliding up caused him to panic and his reaction was to grab the bar and thus sheeting in causing the kite to power up. The trim was also not depowered, so he was riding fully powered. Add the fact that he had the kite parked at 12, the wind was nuking 30-35+ and he was on a 12m also didn't help with the situation. The fact that the CL didn't fully disengage was strange, but I think it was actually compromised by a webbing strap from his reel-leash. Another good reason to not use those reel-leashes!

To sum it up and to avoid this mistake... on land NEVER hold onto the control bar while NOT attached to the CL with any BOW/SLE type kites. In this situation let go of the bar and let the kite naturely depower or let it flag out on the safety leash. If not attached to the kite then let go of it completely... it's not worth a helicopter trip to the ER! :(

Tony Soprano · Post by **Tony Soprano** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 7:23 am

clints · Post by **clints** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 8:42 am

His major mistake was rigging that 12m when it's blowing 30+.

It always amazes everytime I see a kiter rigging a kite bigger than they should and say "I can hold this kite in 30+ mph wind because of it's depower" or "this is my only kite". And this usually comes from a beginner.

A hard lesson learned, I hope that the kiter did not suffer major injuries and the he'll recover soon.

windfast · Post by **windfast** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 9:05 am

This is second hand, but my understanding is he was doing a downwinder from kiteopia and started when the wind was lighter. Word is he has a double compound leg fracture.

EvanOR · Post by **EvanOR** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 9:10 am

I'm really sorry to hear this - hopefully he makes a full and speedy recovery. I wasn't present (and have no info other than what is posted here) and have no idea what kind or brand of kite he was on, but I doubt that's important here. Before people start pointing fingers and diverting from what are likely the real issues, I think it's important for the sake of reducing the potential for future accidents to highlight a few things from the post. I'm not intending to pass judgement; however,

1) 30-35 mph onshore wind.
2) 12m kite
3) reel leash
4) kite parked at 12.

A solid recipe for disaster. These are conditions for an experienced rider on a 6-9m kite. If you have rigged the correct size kite and have it trimmed properly, there is nothing wrong with unhooking from a good SLE - it's only an issue if you've rigged 4 to 6m's too large.....

As both a manufacturer's rep and a kiter who's been in the sport since 2000, I've always advocated the following, especially with modern high-depower kites - if you can't stand comfortably on the beach without having the kite heavily depowered, you've got wait too much kite up.

lacasaverde · Post by **lacasaverde** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 9:39 am

His major mistake was rigging that 12m when it's blowing 30+.

Some things to consider:
1. It wasn't blowing anywhere near 30+ when he rigged.
2. He wasn't the only one that came in overpowered from a downwind run.
3. It seems his biggest mistake was not letting go of the bar as soon as things went haywire.
4. The winds were not predicted to blow as hard as they did last evening.

So the question is, What can be learned from this incident??

I'm not sure if there is any one answer. However, letting go of the kite is WAY less expensive then a helicopter ride out of the park. Another thought, doing a down wind run in the late afternoon may require a smaller kite than expected as the winds at SI often ramp up about that time of day.

kitenaked · Post by **kitenaked** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:16 am

We all hope the guy is okay.

Yes, we can point at alot of things that may be the cause. Though things happen quick, lets do our best to help out where and when we can.

I was on a 9m about 20 minutes earlier when I could have been on my 6.5m.

He did a downwinder and likely at the time of launch at Kitopia, the 12m was fine. It really came up pretty fast....board leash...etc...

windhorny · Post by **windhorny** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 11:05 am

Know your safety. When i go out in nuking winds i always mentally go through the procedure a few times. "Ok, this is what to do if... and this is what to do if that....."

My big question is whether or not he was stuck on the chicken loop after it released. like Yoda said, if he was totally released, it is unlikely for anyone especially a beginner to hold onto to that much grunt without letting go completely.

What did he hit?

reyrivera · Post by **reyrivera** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 11:07 am

Yeah, a sobering reminder on how dangerous our sport can be. Conditions can go bad quick, and practicing emergency procedures to a point where it becomes second nature is necessary. That self rescue clinic that Kite Wind Surf did a month (?) ago should probably be done on a regular basis by schools and instructors.

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Helicopter pickup at Sherman Island

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