Not having instructed anything nearly as dangerous as hang gliding, I'm appalled at the failure of the instructor. I have students on the track that are cinched into belts, wearing arm restraints and a full visor helmet and I quadruple check them long before we even get to the false grid to enter the race track. Something is very wrong there.

 

People are human. Human's make mistakes.

 

Humans make mistakes, true. But that is what check-lists and double and triple checking requirements are for, like Harry said. This should never have happened.

 

I agree with Gene on this. As a former General Aviation pilot, that is what check-list are for. If one searches the NTSB Accident and Incident data base many accidents are because an experienced pilot did not rely on their check list. I.E. a common cause of air crashes shortly after take off is because the pilot forgot to turn either the fuel pump or petcock (in an over head wing aircraft) on. It has enough fuel in the float bowls to fire up and taxi, gets just off of the ground and runs out of fuel.

A couple of the biggest thrills that I have had was taken a "flight lesson" in a type II ultralight out of the airport in Hanna in Maui. Like sitting in a lawn chair at 3,500 feet. The other is: I have been aerobatic several times in a Grob S-2 Sail plane out of Dillingham Field in the NW corner of Oahu. The last time I did this we did a in-side loop and a split S at the top of the arc into out-side loop and as we leveled off at 3,600 feet inverted the pilot said look to the right at two o'clock. There were two hump back whales swimming about a half mile off of the coast swimming east. So there we were at 3,600 feet inverted looking up at two hump back whales swimming along in the opposite direction.

 

P2 is second pilot<me>in front seat,
.has an instructor <P1>in rear seat