NTSB Factual Report

On June 2, 2018, about 1338 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built North Wing (Dan Buchanan) Pulse 10 Meter hang glider, N62073, collided with the ground while participating in an airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base (KMUO), Mountain Home, Idaho. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries and the hang glider sustained substantial damage. The hang glider was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local flight departed KMUO, about 1332. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The premise of the pilot's airshow routine was a comedy act, in which he would simulate inadvertently flying the hang glider into an active airshow, interrupting another airplane that was performing an aerobatic routine. The plan was for the hang glider, which was equipped with smoke canisters and a series of trailing streamers, to be towed past show-center while the aerobatic airplane made a series of close passes, eventually cutting the streamers. Throughout the routine, the rehearsed radio interactions between the hang glider pilot, aerobatic pilot, and the show announcer were to be transmitted over the public-address system.

During a typical airshow, the hang glider was launched by a moving tow-launch system composed of a winch trailer pulled by a truck. The truck and trailer then travelled back and forth down the runway, simultaneously spinning out the tow cord, while the winch operator maintained cord tension as the hang glider climbed to altitude (usually 1,500 ft). The hang glider pilot typically releases the cord once the truck had turned around after the third pass. The hang glider would then begin to perform a series gliding maneuvers down to the ground, while the cord, which was equipped with a parachute, was rewound back into the winch spool as it slowly descended.

On the day of the accident, the performance began and progressed uneventfully until the end of the third runway pass. After being given the all-clear by the hang glider pilot, the truck and winch trailer turned around as planned, and began to accelerate back along runway 12 in anticipation of the pilot releasing the cord. The winch operator stated that a few seconds after the turn, he looked up and noticed the hang glider was about 500 ft below the altitude he would typically expect to see it. The hang glider then performed an aggressive turning maneuver, and descended another 500 ft. The winch operator then released the winch pressure, in an effort to allow more slack to the hang glider to prevent it from being impeded by cord tension. The hang glider then began to climb, roll left, and strike the ground nose-down.

Multiple witnesses, including the Air Boss, who had seen the routine performed many times before, all recounted similar observations, and all stated that the maneuvers after the third pass were completely unconventional, and not part of the routine.

Post-accident examination revealed that the hang glider sustained substantial damage to the nose junction assembly and downtubes, with the remaining sail structure and support components largely intact. Multiple witnesses reported to news media that the tow cord was cut by the aerobatic airplane during the routine, however, examination revealed that the cord was intact and undamaged. Preliminary review of surveillance and witness videos indicated that the tow cord was still attached to the hang glider at the time of ground impact.