Powered Parachute Pilot Drowns

[kevin922 0]

Here..

ALEXANDRIA — A retired Procter & Gamble technician apparently drowned, unable to unbuckle his seat belt, when his open-air flying machine crashed into the lake at A. J. Jolly Park Thursday evening.

This parachute flyer was recovered from the lake at A.J. Jolly Park and taken to Seibert's Auto Service.
(Patrick Reddy photo)
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The flying machine, called a powered parachute, became tangled in a guy wire about 45 feet above the lake at 8:30 p.m., according to Campbell County Police. The pilot, Michael Albert Kappes, 50, of Alexandria, struggled to get out before the craft fell into the lake and quickly sank to the bottom, boaters told police.

“He was an active, enjoyable guy who took early retirement to do what he enjoyed,” said Mr. Kappes' son-in-law, John LeForce of Fort Thomas. “He bought an RV to travel around the country with his wife and had been flying his parachute for three years.”

Mr. Kappes was underwater for up to half an hour before bystanders and rescuers managed to get him to the surface, according to police. Attempts at resuscitation failed, and the Campbell County Coroner pronounced him dead at 10:22 p.m.

Mr. LeForce said Mr. Kappes had never had problems with his powered parachute before. He would regularly take off and land at the park. His Chevy Trailblazer with a trailer to pull the craft was still parked Friday morning next to a ballfield.

Mr. Kappes also was a ham radio operator and had worked with the ham radio emergency team during the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in 1977 and the more recent Falmouth flood, his family said.

Campbell County Police were still investigating the accident.

[billvon 3,120]

>This parachute flyer was recovered from the lake at A.J. Jolly Park
>and taken to Seibert's Auto Service.

Safety note - in the event of serious injury or even suspected death, it's generally better to take the victim to a hospital than an auto mechanic.

Seriously, getting out of the harness is one of the more important parts of water training. Just about anyone can safely land a parachute in the water; it's getting away and swimming to safetly that's the hard part. Live water jumps are very, very good training.

[flyhi 24]

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Seriously, getting out of the harness is one of the more important parts of water training.

Do these things have a 3-ring or other type of release system? Do they wear a reserve? Or is there just no reason (until now) to do that?

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[howardwhite 6]

You had to see the picture to figure out that the "parachute flyer" was the machine, not the guy. Great caption writing.

I saw an eerily similar death years ago. The engine never seemed to develop full power; the inexperienced pilot hit trees and hung suspended upside down in a nearly frozen river for almost an hour before they got him out.

I decided not to take up this activity.

HW

[MarkM 0]

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Do these things have a 3-ring or other type of release system? Do they wear a reserve? Or is there just no reason (until now) to do that?

If I had to guess the guy was using a powered paraglider.

Here's what one looks like in flight: http://www.poweredparaglider.com/gallery/dave_5.jpg

Another look at the engine/harness: http://www.poweredparaglider.com/gallery/angie_5.jpg and http://www.poweredparaglider.com/gallery/angie_1.jpg

I do know that a lot of the newer power gliders use a sort of soft chair as part of the harness system. It makes for a more comfortable flight. The harness can be equiped with a reserve system. Getting out of them quickly probably wasn't a design consideration.

I think the biggest unsafe thing about the sport is that it's a new sport, maybe less than 10 years old. Skydiving has had a lot of time to figure out what works and what doesn't.

Edit: oh, forgot to mention. Some powered paragliders will actually support a trike instead of just a person and harness. The guy could've been in sort of a small open cockpit shell supported under a paraglider.

[billvon 3,120]

>Do these things have a 3-ring or other type of release system?

No. Releasing their wing is as foreign to them as it would be to a Cessna pilot.

>Do they wear a reserve?

Usually yes. It is generally a small, non-TSOed round that is hand deployed (i.e. thrown.)

[howardwhite 6]

"it's a new sport, maybe less than 10 years old."

How 'bout 20. See

http://www.paraplane.com/history.html

HW

[seedy 0]

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Some powered paragliders will actually support a trike instead of just a person and harness.

I intend to live forever -- so far, so good.

[howardwhite 6]

"Some powered paragliders will actually support a trike instead of just a person and harness."

And that's just what the picture showed.

HW

[seedy 0]

That's what I meant to say but my comments didn't post.

I intend to live forever -- so far, so good.

[MarkM 0]

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And that's just what the picture showed.

HW

Ahh, I didn't notice the article link. Must be old age, I'll probably be totally senile in another 10 years.