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Old 09-10-2004, 08:45 PM
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Default Fatality In Holland

I send my sincere regrets and wish for solace to the family, friends of this man and to all kiteboarders in the Netherlands.

The accident involved a kiteboarder of two seasons experience who was also an IKO instructor. The rider had a reputation for being cautious. The accident occurred at Slufter or Maasvlakte in southwestern Holland along the North Sea Coast on November 26, 2003 at about 1300 (1 pm). Where accounts differ, two or more variations are given.


Slufter is located approximately 21 km (30 miles), west of Rotterdam and south of a shipping channel.


An aerial view of the general Slufter area showing the location of the accident.

Winds were reported to be 6-7 Beauford (22 to 33 kts.) and gusting to as high as 37 kts. near onshore to side onshore as depicted below with an air temperature around 10 C (51 F):


A view of the launch area showing the line of poles, approximate wind direction, launch and accident locations.

Other riders had been out earlier but had come in to avoid rain that had been forecast for the afternoon. The rider was assumed to have been excited about getting out to try a new kiteboard. Perhaps because he was eager to get out, he did some things out of the ordinary for him, including:

1.He brought along a reel leash presumably to take care of his new board,

2.He forgot to bring his helmet which he customarily wore.

The rider weighed around 100 to 110 kg (220 to 240 lbs.) and had rigged a Naish 8 m, Aero II. His bar was rigged with an unspecified chicken loop quick release. Riders that had been out earlier in the day were using 8 to 10 m kites in similar wind conditions with no reported problems.

It has been indicated that even though the beach is quite large that there are constraints on kite launching. The area to the left of the line of posts shown in the photo is a closed, environmentally protected area. The area to the right of the posts in the downwind direction becomes deep rapidly and has a very strong current making launching difficult. These constraints apparently motivated the rider to launch approximately 30 m (100 ft.), upwind of the line of timber pilings that had been driven into the sand as shown in the photo.

The rider rigged and launched on his own. He reportedly walked up to where his board was located near the waters edge and knelt down to attach his reel leash to the board. Presumably he was facing seaward at this point. The time was about two hours before high tide. His kite was overhead or at the zenith at this point. The kite was flying fast and was a bit “nervous” or unstable, presumably due to the influence gusty winds and higher aspect kite. In the course of trying to attach the leash the kite instability and correction caused him to slide across the sand a short distance. The next time this happened presumably the rider overcorrected and pulled down on the bar too hard and initiated a kite loop. The kite was seen to travel from left to right at high speed during this time, moving the rider downwind. The kite lofted him a distance of about 6 m horizontally over the sand and then dragged him an additional 25 m to impact one of the wooden posts head first at speed.

Another observer account indicated that he was dragged a short distance over the beach on one knee and the other foot. He stood up to get back into control but then he fell forward and in trying to regain balance he pulled hard on one side of the bar initiating the kite loop.

One other observer account had the rider trying to put on his board reel leash in the shallows when the kite loop was initiated.

Reportedly, the rider didn’t have sufficient time to react and pull his quick release. It is possible that the rider may have lost consciousness following the impact after the initial 6 m lofting. Once the kiteboarder achieved a speed over ground approaching wind speed, 100 m could have been covered in seconds. The kiteboarder reportedly died upon impact. The rider was not wearing a helmet or impact vest. The kite, lines, quick release and bar were inspected and reported to be undamaged and in proper working order.

I wish to thank all the many individuals who assisted in the preparation of this document by providing information. If there are corrections or omitted information please notify me via private email to (flkitesurfer@hotmail.com)

This accident underscores how small choices and errors can be very substantially amplified in high winds potentially with severe consequences. Things can go from annoying to disastrous in seconds, sometimes leaving the kiteboarder with few viable reactions in the minimal time available. If you launch in high winds it is a given that your factor of safety automatically is reduced.

It has been said before but it is worth saying again here. Kiteboarding can seem to be deceptively easy and safe for that matter. This tendency has encouraged marginal kiteboarding practices for sometime because riders often get away unscathed.

Rushing to the beach and rig up has been a factor in many kiteboarding accidents. Considering the tremendous force and speed of events in a kiteboarding accident haste to rig up has no place in this sport especially in strong winds, as hard as it might be to resist. Try to carry spare gear in your car or bag to avoid having to try to “make due” with a less than ideal setup.

A few ideas come out of this account that could help to avoid repetition of similar accidents:

1.KEEP IT LOW AND GO!

That is launch with your kite closest to the water, get it a short distance above the surface 3 to 6 m (10 to 20 ft.) and walk down to the water, pickup your board and proceed offshore without delay. If something goes wrong, in THEORY you should be dragged into the water. It is possible to accidentally initiate a kite loop even with your kite low, particularly in a lull followed by a gust. Particular care in kite handling especially in strong winds is critical.

2.WHEN IN DOUBT, PUNCH OUT!

If your launch is not going as planned, punch out or depower your kite immediately. Many kiteboarders have been injured by trying to keep control of things a bit too long. This precaution is particularly critical in strong winds in which the margin for error may be very small.

3.Always maintain careful control over your kite at all times.

In higher winds, continuous proper kite control is critical. Accidentally initiating a kite loop is not too difficult and correcting for the speed and momentum of a kite flying at high speed can be difficult and time consuming. Work to keep both hands on your kite and if you MUST use a board leash, have someone else put it on for you. The process of attaching an ankle cuff with a flying kite particularly in high wind is quite hazardous.

4.Maintain a minimum 100 m downwind buffer from hard objects.

In higher winds, even more space may be needed as this sad accident clearly establishes. If your launch doesn’t have an adequate downwind buffer, find another launch, even if you have to drive an hour or more away. How much extra travel time is your health or the rest of your life worth to you?

5.Don’t use board leashes.

The majority of riders should be able to cope without use of board leashes. Body dragging is often a viable substitute for board leash use. This could be the second or perhaps even the third fatality that was contributed to by board leash use. If you must use a board leash (cold/hypothermic waters, contrary currents, etc.), accept that you might be seriously injured by this choice and ALWAYS have a helper attach your board leash to your body for you. It is quite easy to lose control of your kite when leaning over to attach the board leash. High winds only amplify the hazard.

6.Work to launch and land unhooked.

This accident would likely have never happened if the rider had launched unhooked and didn’t use a board leash or at least had someone attach the board leash for him. Launching unhooked in strong winds can be a challenge. Use of a reliable Automatic Kite Depower (AKD) would also likely spared the rider this sad accident. AKDs have recently come under closer scrutiny and concept development. We need to develop reliable AKDs . More about this at:

http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2300682

7.Always wear a good helmet, impact vest and other appropriate safety gear.

It is difficult to say if a helmet would improve survivorship or not. If the rider lost consciousness after the first 6 m lofting, it might have keep him conscious and able to perhaps avoid impact. In the milliseconds on impact, who knows what is going to strike, whether it will be a glancing blow, etc. Don’t get hung up on helmets. Just pick a good one, where it whenever you ride and forget you have it on. Safety gear is for just in case.

Originally posted at:

http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2297800
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