Utah Windriders Association

Lets pray for Kenny tonight after suffering a very serious fall from an equipment failure late this afternoon.
He is ok for the most part, but was definately on his way to the ER for exrays. Trevor and I had the missfortune
to witness this and will let Kenny tell the story if he chooses. All I will say is that he took a brutal fall from
way beyond fatal hights and walked away like a man.

Thanks to Dave and Trevor for assisting me off the mountain. It was a mice afternoon with light wind around 8 - 10 in the launch area and 10 to 15 on the hill. I used skis because I thought it would be hardpack. I was surprised by the soft packed powder. Had a good session with some nice glides. Around 4, I thought I would do one more and call it a day. About midway through my flight the left line released right at the bar. The kite went to the right pulling me a bit forward and then I plummeted. I am not sure how high I was, but it was enough time to think, "this is going to really hurt". Fortunately, I landed on my right hip, right on the fleshy part. I sunk about 3 feet upon impact. I looked at my bar and noticed that the end had come off. I could not determine how flysurfer attaches the bar ends to the bar. The bar was new with around 10 flights. I skied down and Trevor drove me to my car while Dave grabbed my kite - thanks again! We have the best local crew. Drove myself to Alta View Hospital. The Doc just told me that I have a seriously bruised back side, but my hip and pelvis are not fractured. I feel so relieved and blessed. Guess I will be laying around for the next few days reliving that flight over and over again.

God's Speed. Kenny, we love you bro. I heard the eye witness replay from David and it sounds like you were over 50 feet up. I am so glad you have no broken bones. You are one of our leaders here in the Utah Kite Crew, and we need ya.
Get well soon.
Don

Viewing from the parking lot, Kenny was above the treeline shortly after takeoff and continued to gain altitude as he
glided twards the hyway before it all went south. I dont know how high he was but I had time to see it, look at Trevor and look back before he bounced off the side of the mountain at about 40MPH
There was plenty of snow on that side of the hill except where he impacted. I inspected the broken bar end which looked like it had been cut in two with a hacksaw.
I'm guessing that the choice to run skis today might have saved you much worse injury, just judging buy the way you landed. Good Good! Im happy to been there to
help in some way. Good luck weeding through the mess I left in your kite

Kenny,
I suspect your strong faith may have played part in your lack of serious injury.
I'm sure glad the news is not what I first thought when I started to read the post.
There will be much discussion about kite gliding in the future,
but number one is you are safe,,, yea...

See ya soon.

-Marty

Glad to hear you are alive Kenny! Even better that your injuries are not serious.
Now the part I dont understand is why I sat home all day while you guys were out kiting?
Was it suppose to be good? I guess I should read Kennys post better.

Kman,
My thoughts and prayers are with you. This every other year accident thing has got to stop. We just get healed up and then crash again. I'm so happy and relived that you're just bruised, thank heavens for that, WOW, to think what might have been. Kind of a wake up call to all 'new gliders', bad stuff can happen.
Give me a call and we can get together over hot drinks and Rhodes Cinnamon rolls and convalesce together.
Jonmzee

Dude, I got an email from Don and Dave this morning. I'm so glad you are okay. I'm praying for you to have fast recovery from your fall.

so glad you are not seriously injured. glad you could walk away. I do believe like marty said your faith made you bounce!!

Sad to hear about the accident. Glad to hear that it wasn't too serious. Your flights have always amazed me but equipment failure like that is something that can not be anticipated. I hope that your recovery is swift and that you will be back to kiting soon.

Kenny,
Sorry to hear about your equipment failure. We all hope you recover quickly and are back up with us.

Ken L

Posting a forecast less than 24 hours after suffering a painful and potentially fatal accident, now that's selfless dedication!

Glad to hear that you are OK Kenny! I smashed my pelvis and femur on a buried stump a few years back. In my baggy ski clothing you could see how swollen I was. The swelling lasted about a month, but the color was around for much longer. It will look good on you do doubt. Did you do the forecast from the clinic? You are really a trooper and apparently have other sky-dwelling buddies. Take care and let me know if I can deliver anything.

Peter, My dad, and I are all glad you made it out of that one alright Kenny, sounds like you really lucked out being able to walk away! Any idea what caused the bar/line to release/fail??

Any idea what caused the bar/line to release/fail??

Yes, Flysurfer glued the high density plastic bar ends into the aluminum bar. No rivet, screw or other secondary mechanism was used to attach the bar end to the bar. I checked the bar end on the right side and found that it was loose.

There are some amazing epoxies out there, but there is something reassuring about a mechanical connection instead of just a chemical one. I am no engineer so I am can't say if it is wrong to use epoxy alone. I just know that I will not trust a bar again that uses epoxy alone to affix the bar ends to the bar.

One thing to keep in mind. Gliding puts a static load on the bar, lines, and kite. Jumping, kiteloops, and powerful jibes put a stronger dynamic force on the bar, lines, and kite. The same thing could have happened while just riding. I shudder to think if another rider were directly downwind of me (while I was just cruising) when the bar end popped loose.

One lesson learned: we cannot be overly diligent in taking time to inspect our gear, even new gear.

Thanks again for the well wishes. We have an awesome local crew. I am proud to be a part of it.