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"Canopy shattered, head bloody, need help"

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chuck2shaw

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Coming down from 3,500' to clear the ridges on the way back to Front Royal from Cumberland (fly-in breakfast) I heard repeated calls "Pawnee, I am on the ground" that I assumed were to the Pawnee tow plane that is used at Front Royal. I heard no response. As I reported approaching the field, he called and asked if the aircraft entering the pattern copied him. I said yes, loud and clear. Only then did he say "I have an emergency, I have shattered the canopy of my glider, I am on the ground, and I have no idea where I am. I need help. My head is bloody." I asked his name, and immediately made calls to the glider operation to tell them about the situation. Finally got a response from the Pawnee, who was landing. He could not hear the glider pilot, so stopped to get a better radio. Meanwhile, an Ultralight was taking off and heard the calls between me and the glider, so he contacted the glider pilot, who he knows well. The man calmed down some then. He hit strong turbulence under a black cloud; his head busted out the canopy, everything went flying out so he lost his GPS and cell phone, and he made an off airport landing with some damage to the glider. He kept saying he had no idea where he was. Then another glider spotted him, only about 2 miles NW of the airport, in a relative flat area; not in the mountain ridges at all. Glider guys went to recover the glider, and someone was taking the pilot to the hospital to be checked out, at last report.

This is a reminder once again - when a pilot has an emergency, it is best to declare it, even in a situation like this! I would have responded to the calls ten minutes earlier if he had said he was in trouble, not just "I am on the ground." Perhaps I should have figured it out, also, so I am sure glad he did not have a time sensitive injury.
Chuck Shaw
 

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