27 crash at Ely?

On Sunday, July 12, 2020 at 5:16:04 PM UTC-7, ASM wrote:
Oh man, that’s terrible news. Jacek

The accident occurred on the east ridge just a few miles from the airport. It is thought by another pilot that he was thermalling just above the ridge top and got blown to the lee (east) side of it and attempted to glide across to the windward side unsuccessfully. His data logger file was recovered by another glider pilot and provided to the sheriff and, ultimately, the NTSB. Marek was an extremely experienced pilot and knew the area very well. He will be sorely missed.

Tom

Marek was a wonderful person. We enjoyed spending time with him here in Tehachapi. May he rest in peace. Prayers for his family.
Dan and Janice Armstrong

On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 10:21:42 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Marek was a wonderful person. We enjoyed spending time with him here in Tehachapi. May he rest in peace. Prayers for his family.
Dan and Janice Armstrong

A further update by a pilot who hiked to the crash site was that the glider's wreckage indicated it was traveling in a northerly direction parallel to the ridgeline and on the windward (west) side of the ridge top. A wind gust or eddy pushed the glider into the ridge with the left-wing low. The left wingtip impacted near the top of the ridge, shedding parts of the wingtip in the process. This tremendous drag cartwheeled the glider, causing the cockpit and right-wing to impact. The force of the impact disintegrated all of the parts, leaving the spars as the most recognizable pieces. Marek died on impact and did not suffer.

Tom

Three deaths in Europe over the weekend also.
A DG-300 and a LS-4 midair in Germany. Also, a LS-8 winch launch crash in the Netherlands.

So sad. He was a great guy who gladly mentored me at Parowan a few years ago.

(Along with a number of other generous pilots.)

Lou

I just reread The Beautiful Mountain & her Sinister Trap, by Henry Combs, Soaring mag, Sept 1984. Henry’s friend crashed at 10:30 in the morning looking for earl lift flying alone a ridge line. Henry does an excellent job of explaining how a highly experienced pilot might get trapped on a ridge. Basically, he sets up the trap with a 5 knot thermal out away from the ridge with the sink and rolling away from the thermal, motion that everyone has experienced a thousand times. Only, this morning the sink is aligned with the face of the ridge.............here comes our highly experienced pilot flying along the ridge, looking for an early thermal........ he flies right into 5 knot sink and a rolling away motion of the thermal and the sink and rolling motion is confined by the ridge. Henry, an aeronautical engender states that it’s not hard to experience rolling motion that exceeds the capabilities of our sailplanes ailerons and in this case, the rolling motion is into the ridge!
The Sinister Trap snares someone every now and then........more than a half dozen times in my 50 year soaring experience!
JJ Sinclair

On Thursday, July 16, 2020 at 12:57:52 PM UTC-7, wrote:
I just reread The Beautiful Mountain & her Sinister Trap, by Henry Combs, Soaring mag, Sept 1984. Henry’s friend crashed at 10:30 in the morning looking for earl lift flying alone a ridge line. Henry does an excellent job of explaining how a highly experienced pilot might get trapped on a ridge. Basically, he sets up the trap with a 5 knot thermal out away from the ridge with the sink and rolling away from the thermal, motion that everyone has experienced a thousand times. Only, this morning the sink is aligned with the face of the ridge.............here comes our highly experienced pilot flying along the ridge, looking for an early thermal........ he flies right into 5 knot sink and a rolling away motion of the thermal and the sink and rolling motion is confined by the ridge. Henry, an aeronautical engender states that it’s not hard to experience rolling motion that exceeds the capabilities of our sailplanes ailerons and in this case, the rolling motion is into the ridge!
The Sinister Trap snares someone every now and then........more than a half dozen times in my 50 year soaring experience!
JJ Sinclair
Henry's article https://www.ssa.org/Archive/ViewIssu...=1984&month=09

As I recall JJ Sinclair also wrote an excellent article on that subject? Perhaps you could post that too.

On Thursday, July 16, 2020 at 3:57:52 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I just reread The Beautiful Mountain & her Sinister Trap, by Henry Combs, Soaring mag, Sept 1984. Henry’s friend crashed at 10:30 in the morning looking for earl lift flying alone a ridge line. Henry does an excellent job of explaining how a highly experienced pilot might get trapped on a ridge. Basically, he sets up the trap with a 5 knot thermal out away from the ridge with the sink and rolling away from the thermal, motion that everyone has experienced a thousand times. Only, this morning the sink is aligned with the face of the ridge.............here comes our highly experienced pilot flying along the ridge, looking for an early thermal........ he flies right into 5 knot sink and a rolling away motion of the thermal and the sink and rolling motion is confined by the ridge. Henry, an aeronautical engender states that it’s not hard to experience rolling motion that exceeds the capabilities of our sailplanes ailerons and in this case, the rolling motion is into the ridge!
The Sinister Trap snares someone every now and then........more than a half dozen times in my 50 year soaring experience!
JJ Sinclair

The question is: how to avoid this trap? What time of day and ridge geometry is conducive to this? What is a safe distance from the ridge and how does that depend on airspeed and thermal and wind conditions? How much airspeed (if any) would keep one safe (enough aileron authority)? When would you avoid circling (in a thermal near a ridge) and use figure eights instead (so as never approaching the ridge head-on), and is that enough to keep you safe (since that rolling motion may still get you even while flying parallel to the ridge)?

On 7/16/2020 1:57 PM, wrote:
I just reread The Beautiful Mountain & her Sinister Trap, by Henry Combs, Soaring mag, Sept 1984. Henry’s friend crashed at 10:30 in the morning looking for earl lift flying alone a ridge line. Henry does an excellent job of explaining how a highly experienced pilot might get trapped on a ridge. Basically, he sets up the trap with a 5 knot thermal out away from the ridge with the sink and rolling away from the thermal, motion that everyone has experienced a thousand times. Only, this morning the sink is aligned with the face of the ridge.............here comes our highly experienced pilot flying along the ridge, looking for an early thermal........ he flies right into 5 knot sink and a rolling away motion of the thermal and the sink and rolling motion is confined by the ridge. Henry, an aeronautical engender states that it’s not hard to experience rolling motion that exceeds the capabilities of our sailplanes ailerons and in this case, the rolling motion is into the ridge!
The Sinister Trap snares someone every now and then........more than a half dozen times in my 50 year soaring experience!
JJ Sinclair
I wonder if that's what happened to Tom Bjork and John Weber.
--
Dan, 5J

On Thursday, July 16, 2020 at 12:57:52 PM UTC-7, wrote:
I just reread The Beautiful Mountain & her Sinister Trap, by Henry Combs, Soaring mag, Sept 1984. Henry’s friend crashed at 10:30 in the morning looking for earl lift flying alone a ridge line. Henry does an excellent job of explaining how a highly experienced pilot might get trapped on a ridge. Basically, he sets up the trap with a 5 knot thermal out away from the ridge with the sink and rolling away from the thermal, motion that everyone has experienced a thousand times. Only, this morning the sink is aligned with the face of the ridge.............here comes our highly experienced pilot flying along the ridge, looking for an early thermal........ he flies right into 5 knot sink and a rolling away motion of the thermal and the sink and rolling motion is confined by the ridge. Henry, an aeronautical engender states that it’s not hard to experience rolling motion that exceeds the capabilities of our sailplanes ailerons and in this case, the rolling motion is into the ridge!
The Sinister Trap snares someone every now and then........more than a half dozen times in my 50 year soaring experience!
JJ Sinclair

This situation is much more complex than that described by Combs. The day was very gusty with a simultaneous combination of ridge, thermal, and wave lift. The thermals were broken and hard to work. Marak's left-wing dipped (perhaps stalled), yet he turned hard to the right (??). The left wing tip hit the top of the ridge causing the glider to cartwheel. The cockpit took the full force of the impact, which was great enough to break the shoulder harness webbing. The wings were still in their assembled position, albeit with the pins ejected.

While one may want a simple explanation of what happened to Marak, the realities are more complex. The take-home advice is that you need plenty of separation from the rocks. I advise enough to complete a turn toward the rocks with margin to spare.

Tom