Quick Release caught on camera

[Clew In]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GmaGpJChTI&feature=player_embedded


Ouch!

Rock On!

Clew In

[ricki]

5GmaGpJChTI

Wow, that is the most impressive POV of a kiter being dragged by a kite in death looping. I read over the comments but am still uncertain as to what may have gone wrong. A wrapped line or something stopping its free motion usually accounts for a kite failing to depower when released. I don't know the kite system in use, is it intended to flag out when the QR is activated?

[Clew In]

It looks to me like the centerline was looped around the bar. When the QR was pulled it would not let the flag line slip through. I think he had the line looped around when he started and did not notice and when he tried again wham. He did have a fast QR release though.

Clew In

[ricki]

I missed that caption at the start of the clip, would have made things easier. I had a look at component images and sure enough the center lines were clearly looped over the bar disabling the normal depowering of the kite much less Emergency Depowering.


http://www.fksa.org/gallery3/var/resizes/Florida/Admin-File/album346/album348/Misc.-Kiting-Images/Critical%20flaw.jpg?m=1361586150
The wrapped bar. He even had his thumb on it.


Looking at the excessive power and looping of the kite in the opening scene it apparently had wrapped before that time perhaps in a wipeout. The non-responsiveness of the kite to normal depowering was his first tipoff. He didn't know enough about normal kite functioning apparently to pickup on this. The best thing to have done would have been to set the kite entirely free as early as possible or at the latest while it was stalled upside down by the jetty.

http://www.fksa.org/gallery3/var/resizes/Florida/Admin-File/album346/album348/Misc.-Kiting-Images/Rock%201.jpg?m=1361586150
Just before he hit the rocks, at least twice and the side of the concrete walk once. He was a very lucky guy to come out of this.

Getting adequate, QUALITY pro kiting instruction is key, in all cases. When you tumble in a wipeout, EXPECT something to haven been messed up. Work to make sure this isn't the case as it may or may not be. Understand how your gear works and what it should normally look like. Wearing reasonable safety gear can help too, for head and torso impacts. If the kite hadn't stalled in the lee of the jetty he might have been dragged into the water to slam into the side of the far jetty. Coming out of that sort of impact so cleanly seems unlikely in the extreme.


There is an expanded discussion of this video at:
http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2379430