Paragliding: The story of my crash.

I was standing on the top of the landing zone, glider floating above me, waiting patiently for the air traffic to clear. I called out ‘launching’, put my head down and ran briskly off the 372 foot cliff. As I sat back in my harness and banked right to soar the ridge I smiled, feeling a perfect balance of confidence and adrenaline as a new paragliding pilot. Ten minutes later, firefighters + lifeguards were rushing down to rescue me off the side of the cliff; I crashed. 

I always hear about trauma victims reliving their accident in their minds long after the incident and I am no different. I have spent the last week and a half replaying that moment in my mind over and over again. After taking time to process my experience and my emotions, I wanted to share this story with you. At first I was concerned about intimidating any aspiring pilots out there. Truthfully a lot of my initial emotions were of embarrassment, feeling like it must look like I am incompetent–I’m a relatively new pilot that had an accident that could have cost me my life. After meditating, lots of tears, and having long conversations with my incredibly supportive partner, I felt it was important to write about my experience.

First, let me backup….I have never been one to sit on the sidelines. When my partner Travis and I first started dating last Autumn and he brought me to watch him fly, I immediately wanted in. At the beginning of this year I began flight school to become a certified paragliding pilot through Fly Torrey Pines in La Jolla. We study theory, practice ground handling, take-off and landing, flight drills, and ultimately take a written and physical test to be certified to fly alone anywhere in the world. Students are coached on radio for every flight up until the instructor signs off on their credentials. If a pilot has taken enough flights and the instructor feels confident in their capabilities then they are allowed to take flights [only during the hours of school] without being coached so they may play and practice on their own; this is the level I was at. 

Now, there are a few technical pieces to this puzzle to understand paragliding a bit better. Beginner pilots learn on a ‘certified A wing’. This means the wing is rated ‘A’ which is the most stable, it has slow maneuverability, and would easily re-inflate if a collapse were to happen. Paragliding gear [including harness, reserve and glider] is chosen specifically to suit each pilot based on weight and skill. –Paragliding is not a cheap sport.– The school provides all the gear necessary to learn, though when possible, buying your own gear and learning to fly on that is most ideal. I had reached the point I was ready to invest in my own gear and my instructor and experienced friends in the community suggested I buy a low-end B wing. (For reference, Travis flys a high B wing, and David, who took these images flys a D wing.) I had been progressing relatively quickly, even impressing the seasoned pilots who saw me practicing, and was excited to level out of the beginner wing. 

[The day before the accident. I am flying the Orange glider, Travis flying alongside me, images taken by David Hatfield.]

On the morning of the accident my instructor briefed us on wind conditions for the day, and we began ground handling. He knew I was in the market to buy a wing so he’d been allowing me to demo brand new wings that were for sale in the shop. The wing I was playing with this morning was an ultra-light weight high B wing. I’d flown it the day before alongside Travis and David and had a blast, but I knew it wasn’t the wing for me. I told my instructor how much fun I'd had, but that I planned to go a different route and that I'd put it away to not depreciate the wing’s life by putting more sky time on it. He smiled and said “I like the way you fly it–feel free to use it until you get your own setup.” 

It was my fourth flight of the day when it happened. I launched and headed south to go play alongside Travis, where he’d been following a pod of dolphins. The wind was getting light and I was struggling to gain altitude. I began to get nervous about having to land on the beach with the new wing.

–A huge part of paragliding school is understanding the wind. At a coastal location like Torrey, wind moves up the cliff at a vertical angle creating the lift possible to ridge soar, which makes it such a world class site. Now, this is the important part: in parts of the coast where the cliff is not vertical, has obstacles, or isn’t facing directly west, these spots are dangerous! Wind will notoriously have rotor, meaning it will be turbulent and bumpy, causing bubbles in the wind pattern.–

As I continued to struggle to find lift I made a critical error and flew too deep over a gap in the cliff known as the bowl. Although it is possible to fly over that section, it is generally avoided. I was already below the top of the cliff which put me at an increasingly risky position. My wing took a 50% collapse and I immediately began a spiral downwards. In a matter of seconds I weight shifted to the inflated end of the wing, attempting to fly out of it and reducing impact. I slammed directly into the cliff, kicking off the wooden railroad tie away with my left foot, bounced and landed abruptly in a patch of ice plant.

During the rescue I was asked all kinds of questions confirming I had not lost consciousness, and I could feel all of my extremities. Based on my demeanor as I sat in my harness waiting to be pulled out, the team (along with Travis and my instructor) didn’t think the damage would be too bad. We were all shocked to learn the extent of my injuries.

I was admitted to the ER, asked to sign documents, required to make intense decisions about my life all while under extreme stress, heavy sedation and alone, unable to have a loved one by my side due to Covid. After a CT scan, an MRI and several X-rays later, a processional of doctors informed me of my injuries. Brace yourself….

-Fracture of fourth and fifth metatarsal of left hand. 

-Fractured pelvis. 

-Protrusion of lumbar intervertebral disc. Fracture of L1 and T11. 

-Broken heel, phalanx and left toe on left foot. 

I know….it sounds bad. And to be fair, it is. BUT it’s certainly not as bad as it could be! My prognosis is ultimately 6-8 weeks; I am so grateful it’s not 6-8 months...or even years! I spent a total of four days in the hospital, with visits only possible via Facetime, while I gained enough strength to use a walker and go home. 

It’s been a week and a half since the accident (7/12). I am progressing little bits each day, finding more independence and mobility. The pain is manageable now, and I’m happy to be able to get out of the house for little car rides to acupuncture therapy or to the store. I’m still spending most of the day in the recliner, in bed, or in the wheelchair Travis thrifted so I can roll around the house or on the patio outside. (I’m still convinced he got the wheelchair so he can play and do wheelies in the living room🤣. I am trying to keep positive spirits and focus on what I have to be grateful for, but I still have my moments. When I struggle to do mundane tasks, or remember that I won’t be able to get into the ocean, go for a run, skate, or paraglide for the rest of summer it overwhelms me. My active lifestyle has come to a halt. For now, I relish the little victories like being able to use the bathroom and shower (mostly) by myself and make my own coffee. I could not do any of this without the unwavering support of my partner. From taking care of my every need to sweet gifts like the dino-bell on my walker, Travis has been my rock through turbulent times, continuing to remind me the toughest part is over and that this will only make us stronger. 

[1st Image: The day Travis picked me up from the hospital + we went straight to Wendys for a Frosty + we took the coast the whole way home. / 2nd Image: The adorable dino-bell Trav put on my walker / 3rd Image: Morning smoothie with comfrey, the ‘bone knit root’ that my dear friend Kiki sent in a care package.)

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and while I may not have that ‘reason’ written profoundly anywhere, it is a blessing alone to be able to share this. If anything, I know simply writing this has created space for me to heal, and I am so grateful to those who took the time to read. I learned a lesson the hard way, but I learned indeed. And yes, I have every intention of getting back up in the sky as soon as I am healed. I will be using this down-time to thoroughly read my paragliding book, and continue to watch videos to make me a safer, more successful pilot. While there were a few reasons why this accident could have been avoided: accidents do happen, but the risk is part of what makes the sport so much fun. 

–If you know of any restorative remedies, physical therapy, or have a personal experience with trauma, please leave a comment below. It is in these times that I am most grateful for this community.–