Experienced pilot Jeff died in a suspected deep stall/parachutal situation during an early morning flight in foggy conditions with mist. Reserve was deployed but didn't have time to fully inflate. Wing was found perfectly laid out, trims fully closed, with internal rib damage.
Low — plausible assumptions
On the foggy morning of May 13th, Jeff took off for his routine early morning 'therapy flight' on his trike from a field near his house. The fog had lifted to a ceiling of 500-1000 feet. He was discovered by a homeowner in a field. No GoPro footage, GPS data, or witnesses available. Reserve parachute deployment bag was found 100 feet from the accident scene, but reserve didn't fully inflate, suggesting very low deployment. Wing was laid out almost perfectly nose down, fully inflated, with trims pulled fully in. Internal damage to center section ribs over 5-foot section (ribs torn). All signs showed death on impact. Best theory: deep stall/parachutal situation where wing remained inflated but horizontal speed became zero with only vertical descent.
Suspected deep stall caused by multiple contributing factors: 1) High humidity/mist making wing damp or wet, disrupting airflow 2) Trims fully closed, putting wing closer to stall angle of attack 3) Wing lines out of trim by 11-12mm (A's and B's stretched, C's and D's shrunk), increasing angle of attack 4) Wing overloaded by ~100 pounds, making recovery more dramatic and difficult. Wing porosity test passed, fabric strength test passed, suggesting internal damage was result rather than cause.
Did not have time to open
field
Some correct and some wrong inputs
May 13, 2022
United States
Berlin Township, Wayne County
Trike
Flash Cruiser (Easy Pear Butterfly)
Polini Thor 250
Ozone
Sirocco II
22
Jeffrey Ronald Chorba
Very experienced and one of the safest and most responsible paramotor pilots. Regular early morning flyer. Wing overloaded by approximately 100 pounds (pilot weight plus trike weight).
Closed
Foggy morning with fog lifted to 500-1000 foot ceiling. High humidity. Reports of mist around time of accident.
Video by Tucker Gott analyzing Jeff's fatal accident on May 13, 2022. Jeff was an experienced, safe pilot who died during an early morning trike flight in foggy/misty conditions. Theory: Deep stall/parachutal situation. Contributing factors: high humidity/mist, trims fully closed, wing lines 11-12mm out of factory trim spec, wing overloaded by ~100 lbs. Reserve deployed but no time to inflate. Wing inspection by Chris Santacroce/Superfly showed: fabric strength passed, porosity passed, trim test showed 11-12mm out of spec (1-2mm outside abnormal range per expert). Internal rib damage over 5ft section likely result of impact. No witnesses, no GPS data, no video footage. Lessons: avoid flying in rain/mist, send gliders for regular inspection per manufacturer schedule (Ozone recommends 24 months/100 hours initially, annually if >100hrs/year), don't fly overloaded, if caught in deep stall: reduce throttle, hands up, open trims, tweak A's, use speed bar to reduce angle of attack.