This page contains pictures taken during the Duchesne Soaring safari in 2004.
As I was taking a tow from Duchesne to Heber Utah, I was accidentally released from the towplane. These pictures were taken after my safe landing. I'm sharing them to show the conditions I faced and to help people make sense of the situation. If you would like to read about this experience, click here. Note that you can also click on an image to see a larger version.
 With my volunteers parked at the crest of the hill flashers on to slow approaching traffic, I felt safe enough to take a couple pictures to document the scene. This is where I pulled the glider off the side of the highway. I didn't dare pull it off farther as the hillside increased and I was worried it would roll down and be damaged. Note the power pole on the horizon. |
 Notice the power poles and lines that I flew under, along with the road signs I just cleared before full spoilers. I stopped very quickly with about a 25mph headwind. I touched down about even with the first marker on the left. Thankfully the road was wide enough for me in this small section. |
 This shows that I had landed on the crest of the hill, but had no faith that I could reach my next selected landing spot another mile down the hill as the headwinds were too strong, in addition there was traffic there and NOT here, and this portion was slightly wider due to double passing lanes. Note the highway pole just past the vehicle that I needed to stop before as I turned off the highway. |
 Mr. Highway Patrol officer writing his report and talking to me as I secured the elevator pieces into the trailer. He was very friendly and once he found out there were no damages or injuries, helped me secure the fuselage. |
I have to be honest, from the air I didn't realize just how much of a hill this location was. I had driven past it earlier and knew the rest-stop was at the base of a small hill, but from the air it didn't appear like much of a problem. Given the other options (trees and rocks), it was very inviting.
This page was updated Monday, June 14, 2004.