I ended up performing one too many turns. I flew too low on my final turn and clipped one of the trees with my wing tip. I fell twenty feet to the ground. When Daniel M. arrived at the scene, I wasn’t breathing. My instructor Kurtis, who had launched me from the top of the mountain, witnessed the crash from above. He was ready to dial 911 and call in a helicopter to rescue me.
Daniel reported to Kurtis via radio that I took my first breath one minute after crashing. Soon, I was conscious and responsive, so Kurtis took Anthony’s glider and harness from the top and flew down to give me a full body check. Two things stood out: (1) I had amnesia. (2) My body had escaped the crash unscathed. The rest of the students drove down and Kurtis, Anthony, and Clay took Kurtis’ truck and took me to the regional hospital in Fresno, about an hour away.
At the hospital, I had CT scans of my head, chest, and pelvis. They all turned out negative. The doctors in the ED had never witnessed head trauma without any concurrent body injuries. Even though I couldn't remember conversations for more than a few seconds, I claimed to be free of pain and was perfectly lucid. The physician diagnosed me with a concussion, stitched up a cut underneath my chin, and prescribed some painkillers for my headache and bruised chest before releasing me that same day.
I don’t have any memory of my flight, crash, or visit to the hospital. My memory “rebooted” at the restaurant in Pinehurst, where I treated everyone to dinner (a BHGC tradition: you crash, you buy everyone dinner). Almost all of my memory is back now, but I will probably never remember my flight, crash, or visit to the hospital.
Even though I can’t remember my flight, I know some of the mistakes that may have contributed to my crash. (1) My body was poorly rested. I had run a marathon less than a week ago, and 16 miles on top of that just one day before my flight. (2) My mind was poorly rested. All seven of us on the trip slept on a tarp outside “like a pod of walruses.” Someone started snoring immediately, and shifted throughout the night to keep me awake. I probably slept less than 4 hours that night. (3) I didn’t see the flight plan. Daniel M. demonstrated the flight first, but I was stuck behind a few other students with my glider and I couldn’t see him fly. I flew right after Daniel, because the conditions were best for the person with the least experience -- me. (4) I was worried about overshooting the landing zone. I thought I had to be below tree height to bring my glider down into the LZ. I was overly concerned about overshooting the LZ and crashing into the fence or power lines behind the pasture. (5) I adjusted my harness a few days before the trip without testing it out. Anthony and I took out the delimiter on my harness, so that I flew more horizontal when I was kicked in to the harness. I should have taken a few test flights at lower altitudes before going to the mountains. (6) I was willing to overlook all of these concerns because I was excited about getting my first mountain flight under my belt.
I come out of this entire experience remarkably fortunate and thankful. My glider, helmet, harness, and reserve parachute took the brunt of the fall, and left me intact. The BHGC took care of me in the hours and days following my accident, and I know I've been in good hands ever since.
As soon as my injuries heal, I plan on being in the mountains flying again. I know that I am capable of being a safe and skilled pilot. I just need to incorporate the lessons that I have learned and avoid making the same mistakes.
Update: Read Soggy Bottom's trip report here.
Update #2: There's a short video of me at the hospital, asking questions while "perseverating." Check it out here.
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