Mark James Boyd wrote:

Does having an extra 20 pounds behind you during an
impact of more than 20 Gs cause enough additional
stress to measurably increase the chance of
death in an accident?

An interesting question. I didn't read the study, but ...

I suspect car crashes don't relate well to glider crashes, because the
structural strength is so different. The structure of the car allows 30G
and more without serious invasion into the driver's compartment, but
gliders probably can't even do 10 G.

"Obese" generally implies overweight of 20%+, and the parachutes I'm
familiar with are 15 pounds or less, so for even a lightweight like
yourself, that's less than 10%.

The pilots I know that survived crashes were mostly injured from the
waist down. Trunk injuries were inconsequential by comparison.

And finally, major trunk injuries in fatal accidents are generally
attributed to "submarining" under the seat belts, though problem is
better controlled in the newer gliders.

I'm sure the weight of the parachute is a liability in a crash, but the
evidence from crashes seems indicate it's a small factor. On the other
hand, I know several people that would be dead except for their parachute.


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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA