Now THAT'S My Kinda Parachute! | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

 Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-10.27.25

AirborneNextGen-
10.28.25

Airborne-Unlimited-10.29.25

Airborne-Unlimited-10.30.25

AirborneUnlimited-10.17.25

Mon, Jul 07, 2003

Now THAT'S My Kinda Parachute!

'Chute Saves Pilot's Life, Even Thought It Malfunctions

An Australian hang-glider pilot will actually live to get a refund on his malfunctioning emergency parachute. The Queensland Courier-Mail reports the 39-year old man was part of a group hang-gliding from Widgee Mountain, about 12 miles west of Gympie, Queensland.

One witness told the Courier-Mail that, soon after he launched from the east side of the mountain, the main spar on his glider collapsed. One man who saw the whole thing says "he fell virtually straight down" toward the ground, almost 400 feet below.

The pilot activated his glider's emergency chute. It only partially deployed.

And yet...

Just 35 feet above the ground, the chute snagged a tree limb. The pilot's fall was broken just before he hit the ground.

"He's dead lucky," said Energex Community Emergency Rescue helicopter pilot Creagh Meacham. "There's a lot of open spaces out there."

The pilot suffered a broken arm and a broken leg in the fall. Meacham said "He had very nasty injuries, but he'd probably be dead if he hadn't deployed the parachute."

FMI: www.hgfa.asn.au

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (10.31.25): Minimum Sector Altitude [ICAO]

Minimum Sector Altitude The lowest altitude which may be used under emergency conditions which will provide a minimum clearance of 300 m (1,000 feet) above all obstacles located in>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (10.31.25)

Aero Linx: African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) At AFCAC, our Safety Strategic Objective is to enhance Aviation Safety and the efficiency of Air Navigation Services in Africa.>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Airbus A321-271N (A1); Cessna 172N (A2)

The Local Controller’s Poor Judgment In Prioritization Of Their Ground Traffic Ahead Of Their Airborne Traffic Analysis: Hawaiian Airlines flight 70 (HAL70), N2165HA, an Airb>[...]

ANN FAQ: Follow Us On Instagram!

Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]

Airborne 10.30.25: Earhart Search, SpaceX Speed Limit, Welcome Back, Xyla!

Also: Beech M-346N, Metro Gains H160 EMS STC, New Bell Boss, Affordable Flying Expo Tickets NOW On Sale! Purdue University’s Research Foundation and the Archaeological Legacy>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Change Display

Headlines Only | Headlines w/ Teasers | View Everything

Advertisement

Top Videos

Airborne 10.03.25: Phantom 3500 Buy, ‘Chinese Military Company’, NOTAM Redesign

Airborne Affordable Flyers 10.02.25: MOSAIC Start Date, AFE25 Tickets, ePulitzer

Airborne 10.01.25: New Gulfstream G300, Affordable Flying Expo Tkts, Starship 11

See All

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC