Harness connector pin released at 75-100 feet AGL causing J-bar to rise and right brake toggle to be lost. Wing turned 90 degrees left. Pilot regained control and landed safely in crosswind conditions.
Hardware failure
Maximum — exactly determined
Fourth flight of the day at a fly-in weekend's second day. Full equipment check in the morning before first flight; perfunctory checks of main items after. Normal run-up, launch run, and take-off into light winds. About 15 seconds after lift-off and at about 75-100 feet AGL, the right connector pin that linked the harness to the J-bar released causing the J-bar to rise perhaps 4-6 inches at the front. The sudden change in position and increased pull on the right-side steering toggle caused pilot to lose that toggle. In its deformed configuration, the wing turned 90 degrees left before the pilot had managed to sit high & reach high enough to regain the right toggle and start countering the wing's tendency to turn left. Reducing power, the pilot steered the wing in for a 90 degree cross-wind landing between a large carnival tent and a corn-field without incident.
The locking pin was absent after landing inspection. The locking screw must have partially unscrewed, escaped notice during perfunctory pre-flight checks after the first flight, and with the vibrations of several flights, finally released. This pin was one of 6 attachment points of the harness to the airframe, but one of 4 load-bearing suspension points.
Not deployed
Mostly correct inputs while reacting
November 25, 2008
United States
Footlaunch
AVM frame
Solo 210
Ozone
Silex
85 m
Weight: 140 lbs. Fourth flight of the day at fly-in weekend.
light winds
Light winds
Fourth flight of the day at a fly-in weekends second day. Full equipment check in the morning before first flight; perfunctory checks of main items after. Normal run-up, launch run, and take-off into light winds. About 15 seconds after lift-off and at about 75-100 feet AGL, the right connector pin that linked the harness to the J-bar released causing the J-bar to rise perhaps 4-6 inches at the front. The sudden change in position and increased pull on the right-side steering toggle caused pilot to lose that toggle. In its deformed configuration, the wing turned 90 degrees left before the pilot had managed to sit high & reach high enough to regain the right toggle and start countering the wing's tendency to turn left. Reducing power, the pilot steered the wing in for a 90 degree cross-wind landing between a large carnival tent and a corn-field without incident. Post-landing inspection revealed that the locking pin was absent but no other material defects were found. The locking screw must have partially unscrewed, escaped notice, and with the vibrations of several flights, finally released. Replacing the pin was sufficient to get back in the air a few minutes later. This pin was one of 6 attachment points of the harness to the airframe, but one of 4 load-bearing suspension points of the whole passanger-airframe combo under the wing via the J-bars.