Incident Details

Andy and his friend Ryan planned to fly the evening before but decided conditions weren't good (high winds and gusts). They opted for early morning flight instead when weather appeared calm. Surface conditions at Moncks Corner airport were calm with no tree movement. Andy launched successfully (first successful foot launch) and climbed to about 300 feet. At that altitude he encountered significant steady headwind that dramatically reduced his ground speed. He radioed to his buddy about the wind. Shortly after, he hit what felt like a wall of wind - severe wind shear. The wing instantly snapped all the way behind him and went upside down. He swung up, got twisted around, came back down and fell through his risers (line twist). The collapse happened so violently and fast that by the time he realized it wasn't recovering, he was already at ground level spinning with significant G-forces. He considered deploying reserve but felt he was too low, couldn't reach it due to G-forces, and it might make things worse. He hit the ground on his right side in a spiral. His engine (Moster 180) was still running after impact. He shut it off, called his wife with location pin, then called his buddy Ryan who had already called 911 after witnessing the crash from the air. Ryan chose not to land next to Andy due to same dangerous conditions but directed paramedics to the location. Andy was conscious throughout, felt he might be going into shock. Paramedics cut lines off him and transported him to hospital. He suffered broken neck, broken back, and lacerated internal organs.

Severe wind shear encountered at 300 feet altitude. Surface winds were calm (as predicted) but winds at 330 feet were approximately 16 mph - double the surface wind speed, creating significant wind gradient. Pilot had checked surface weather but had not thoroughly checked winds aloft. Flying at 300 feet placed him directly in the wind shear layer. Trimmers were out (fast/open position) to penetrate headwind which may have contributed to wing being less stable. Wind shear was severe enough to cause instant catastrophic collapse with wing going behind and upside down.

Broken neck (cervical spine), broken back, lacerated internal organs. Required surgery. Wore neck brace and back brace during recovery. Expected to make full recovery without limitations. No paralysis.

About 1 year paramotor experience. Extensive professional aviation background - 15-16 years flying military jets (C-17), airline pilot. Trained with Scout Paramotors in Italy. Also flies Carbon 185.

7.2 m/s

Calm at surface, approximately 16 mph at 330 feet

Early morning, summer in South Carolina. Calm surface conditions but significant wind gradient aloft creating wind shear layer around 300 feet. Sun still low on horizon.

Full YouTube Video Interview - Horrific Paramotor Crash | Pilot Interview by Tommy Flies. Upload Date: 20190724, Duration: 38 minutes, Views: 48149. Interview with Andy Bean about his paramotor crash on June 15, 2019. Andy and Tommy both live in same town in South Carolina and fly paramotors but had not met before. Andy discusses: Background - Flying paramotors for about 1 year, trained with Scout Paramotors in Italy in spring 2019. Has 15-16 years professional military aviation experience flying C-17s and airline experience. Day of crash - Planned evening flight with buddy Ryan but conditions were too windy with high gusts. Decided to fly early morning instead when forecast showed calm conditions. Arrived at Moncks Corner airport around 6:45am as sun was coming up. Surface weather was calm, checked Windy app for surface winds only, treetops not moving. Had successful foot launch (first successful one). Climbed to about 300 feet and encountered significant steady headwind that reduced ground speed dramatically. Radioed buddy about the wind. The Incident - About 10-15 minutes into flight, sun still low on horizon, suddenly hit what felt like wall of wind - severe wind shear. Wing instantly snapped all the way behind him and went upside down. Swung up, twisted around, came back down and fell through risers with line twist. Within seconds was on ground. Collapse was so violent and fast, by time he realized it wasn't recovering he was already at ground level spinning with significant G-forces. Considered deploying reserve but felt too low, couldn't reach it due to G-forces, might make things worse. Hit ground on right side in spiral. Impact and Rescue - Moster 180 engine still running after impact, he shut it off. Conscious throughout, pain flooding in. Used cell phone to drop pin to wife, called her to report crash. Called buddy Ryan who had already called 911 after witnessing crash from air. Ryan chose not to land next to Andy due to same dangerous conditions but directed paramedics to location. Andy felt like going into shock, talked to himself about crash to stay focused. Paramedics came, cut lines off him, cut shirt, rolled him onto backboard, transported to Trident hospital. Injuries - Broke neck (cervical spine), broke back, lacerated internal organs. Required surgery. Wore neck brace and back brace during recovery. Expected full recovery without limitations, no paralysis. Almost one month since crash at time of interview. Weather Analysis - Tommy (interviewer) analyzed weather data after incident. Surface winds were calm (5-6 mph) as predicted, but at 330 feet winds were 16 mph - double the surface wind speed, creating significant wind gradient and wind shear layer. Andy had checked surface weather on Windy app but had not checked winds aloft at different altitudes. Equipment and Settings - Flying Sky Flux 24 (beginner/trainer wing), within weight range for wing. Had trimmers fully out (fast/open position) to penetrate the headwind. Wing manual discusses different trim settings for thermals vs wind penetration. Reflex wings handle differently than non-reflex wings. Lessons Learned - Thoroughly check weather at ALL altitudes, not just surface. Know your wing manual recommendations for trim settings in different conditions. Set personal boundaries and limits ahead of time (wind speeds, gusts, time of day for thermals, etc). When conditions aren't what you expected in flight, consider landing and reassessing rather than continuing. Be cautious of get-there-itis and pressure to fly when you really want to go. Don't skip preflight weather checks even if you checked earlier. Flying at 300 feet puts you in sweet spot for fun but also at risk with no time for reserve deployment if something goes wrong. Additional Context - Tommy mentions his buddy Mike who had similar incident, got swatted out of sky in worse conditions, hit sink after tree line, broke collarbone, shattered it but walked away. Tommy himself had crashed on launch before (not in flight), broke his Scout paramotor but was uninjured - that incident humbled him and made him more cautious pilot. Andy mentions this could have been freak accident that might have happened to any pilot in same conditions. Plans to fly again in future after recovery. Interview conducted by Tommy Flies (Tom Kubat) approximately one month after incident.