SFFL: 8
Date: March 14, 2009
Nationality: Unknown
Location: Les Diablerets, Switzerland
COD: Impact in Turbulence / Rotor
Ground Launching or Skiing: Skiing
Wing Type: Paratech P180 - 9m²
Wingloading: 11.1 kg/m²
Age: 36
Experience: Unknown
Beacon/Locator/Etc (Spot, inReach, Recco, GPS): Unknown

Description:

Manuel Muerner [36], crashed after flying too close to rocks on the Diablerets glacier. He died at the accident site. Manuel was known as being a very careful and responsible pilot and kite surfer. He was speed riding with a friend at the ski resort Les Diablerets on a east facing slope up on 3000m. There was west wind blowing at around 30 Km/h. So they were clearly flying in a nasty leeside wind. No one witnessed the accident, except for analysis from his helmet camera.

It is believed that Manuel got dropped from the moving air in the leeside while he was doing a 90° hook turn. He touched the snow to hard, his glider collapsed and he fell. The Impact didn`t seem hard in the snow. Video stopped here.
He must now have been sliding down the steep snow face for a few hundred meters, over big cliffs, which is what probably killed him.



If anyone has additional information, and images we can use for this entry, please contact us.

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The List:
Speed Flying Fatality List

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