http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/3042421.stm
Condolances to family and friends
UK Kiting fatality
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Toby
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Here the article:
Man dies stunt kiting
Police have started an investigation into the death of a man who fell more than 30ft while flying a stunt power kite.
The 28-year-old man, who has not been named by police, died in hospital following the accident at Stowmarket, Suffolk, on Sunday.
It is thought that the man, who was harnessed into the steerable kite, took off in winds gusting at up to 40mph.
A Suffolk Police spokesman said: "We are still investigating the accident and a report will be prepared for the inquest.
"We do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances.
Lifted man into air
"We would warn members of the public to take care when pursuing dangerous hobbies."
Police believe the wind caught the kite and lifted the man into the air before he suddenly plunged back to earth.
Witnesses had seen the man flying the kite, which was around 10 feet across for several hours before the tragedy.
One witness, who did not want to be named, said he saw the man float gently back to earth several times after being pulled a few feet into the air.
My condolances too.
That's why I don't like to play around with a kite being on land.
Nothing worse than that.
Toby
Man dies stunt kiting
Police have started an investigation into the death of a man who fell more than 30ft while flying a stunt power kite.
The 28-year-old man, who has not been named by police, died in hospital following the accident at Stowmarket, Suffolk, on Sunday.
It is thought that the man, who was harnessed into the steerable kite, took off in winds gusting at up to 40mph.
A Suffolk Police spokesman said: "We are still investigating the accident and a report will be prepared for the inquest.
"We do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances.
Lifted man into air
"We would warn members of the public to take care when pursuing dangerous hobbies."
Police believe the wind caught the kite and lifted the man into the air before he suddenly plunged back to earth.
Witnesses had seen the man flying the kite, which was around 10 feet across for several hours before the tragedy.
One witness, who did not want to be named, said he saw the man float gently back to earth several times after being pulled a few feet into the air.
My condolances too.
That's why I don't like to play around with a kite being on land.
Nothing worse than that.
Toby
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RickI
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Here is another article from the local paper with additional details:
Kite flier plunges to death
May 20, 2003 07:09
A KITE flier was killed after he was swept up into the air by strong winds and then plunged to the ground at a Suffolk town.
The 28-year-old man who has not been named was taken by ambulance to West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, but died later from his injuries.
He was flying his stunt power kite with friends from Stowmarket on a rugby pitch at Chilton playing fields on Sunday.
Police believe the man was harnessed into the steerable kite and took off as winds gusted at up to 40mph.
A Suffolk Constabulary spokeswoman said: "It seems that there had been certain modifications to his kiting equipment which caused him to be lifted high into the air.
"We believe that he was hoping to float back down to earth gently, but he suddenly plunged to the ground. We are still investigating the incident, but we are warning members of the public to take care when pursuing dangerous hobbies.''
The man was seen flying his giant dark-coloured kite with at least one friend for several hours before the tragedy happened.
A cricketer who was coaching youngsters nearby said: "They had an enormous kite which appeared to be about ten feet across. The wind was pretty strong and I saw them being pulled up into the air a couple of feet above the ground a few times before they floated down again safely.
"They seemed to be really enjoying themselves and were still up here when I left at lunchtime.''
A dog walker said: "The field is very popular with kite fliers because it is a wide open space and there is plenty of room for them.
"We see them up here quite regularly. It seems that this poor chap must have just been caught by a really strong gust of wind. The wind gets up to quite a speed because the field is quite exposed. It is just an awful tragedy. You never expect to hear of someone being killed while flying a kite."
Stowmarket deputy mayor Gordon Paton said: "This is awful and very unusual, such a terrible tragedy for his family. This will be a terrible shock for them. Someone is enjoying their recreation and then it ends in a tragedy like this, I am very sad to hear about this.''
A spokesman for the East Anglian Ambulance Service said an ambulance from Stowmarket was at the scene within three minutes of receiving a call at 1.45pm on Sunday.
He said: "We were called to a man who was unconscious and has fallen from a height. He was unconscious, but breathing."
The spokesman said they sent an ambulance and a response vehicle and believed he was still alive on arrival at hospital.
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the accident. An inquest into the man's death will be held.
from:
http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/Content/ne ... 3A59%3A597
It would seem the kiter was out with a smaller traction kite considering the high winds and was practicing jumping at the rugby field. He got a bit too much air and stalled or otherwise fell to earth at speed. I understand that winds in the UK are often related to frontal weather systems. This means that wind can come with clouds, showers and the strong gusts sometimes. So, you might have a reasonable kite size up (large) and then suddenly be greatly over powered when the wind spikes way up. Many kiters have been injured by jumping over land. Many have stopped this practice after breaking legs, hip joints, etc. I am not sure what is meant by the statement "A Suffolk Constabulary spokeswoman said: "It seems that there had been certain modifications to his kiting equipment which caused him to be lifted high into the air."
Carolina was severely injured by jumping over land and this kiter was killed. Other stories about serious negative consequences of going high and/or fast over land are out there. It is tempting to want to boost a few jumps at the beach. The trouble is when things go wrong, best to do your jumping well out over water. Unstable weather is a serious hazard to all power kiters. Weather awareness and contingency planning, practiced and tested safety systems a large, soft downwind buffer zone can be vital for kiteboarders. If you are on land your options can be far fewer in trying to manage sudden gusts.
I too would like to extend my condolenses to the man's family and friends.
Kite flier plunges to death
May 20, 2003 07:09
A KITE flier was killed after he was swept up into the air by strong winds and then plunged to the ground at a Suffolk town.
The 28-year-old man who has not been named was taken by ambulance to West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, but died later from his injuries.
He was flying his stunt power kite with friends from Stowmarket on a rugby pitch at Chilton playing fields on Sunday.
Police believe the man was harnessed into the steerable kite and took off as winds gusted at up to 40mph.
A Suffolk Constabulary spokeswoman said: "It seems that there had been certain modifications to his kiting equipment which caused him to be lifted high into the air.
"We believe that he was hoping to float back down to earth gently, but he suddenly plunged to the ground. We are still investigating the incident, but we are warning members of the public to take care when pursuing dangerous hobbies.''
The man was seen flying his giant dark-coloured kite with at least one friend for several hours before the tragedy happened.
A cricketer who was coaching youngsters nearby said: "They had an enormous kite which appeared to be about ten feet across. The wind was pretty strong and I saw them being pulled up into the air a couple of feet above the ground a few times before they floated down again safely.
"They seemed to be really enjoying themselves and were still up here when I left at lunchtime.''
A dog walker said: "The field is very popular with kite fliers because it is a wide open space and there is plenty of room for them.
"We see them up here quite regularly. It seems that this poor chap must have just been caught by a really strong gust of wind. The wind gets up to quite a speed because the field is quite exposed. It is just an awful tragedy. You never expect to hear of someone being killed while flying a kite."
Stowmarket deputy mayor Gordon Paton said: "This is awful and very unusual, such a terrible tragedy for his family. This will be a terrible shock for them. Someone is enjoying their recreation and then it ends in a tragedy like this, I am very sad to hear about this.''
A spokesman for the East Anglian Ambulance Service said an ambulance from Stowmarket was at the scene within three minutes of receiving a call at 1.45pm on Sunday.
He said: "We were called to a man who was unconscious and has fallen from a height. He was unconscious, but breathing."
The spokesman said they sent an ambulance and a response vehicle and believed he was still alive on arrival at hospital.
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the accident. An inquest into the man's death will be held.
from:
http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/Content/ne ... 3A59%3A597
It would seem the kiter was out with a smaller traction kite considering the high winds and was practicing jumping at the rugby field. He got a bit too much air and stalled or otherwise fell to earth at speed. I understand that winds in the UK are often related to frontal weather systems. This means that wind can come with clouds, showers and the strong gusts sometimes. So, you might have a reasonable kite size up (large) and then suddenly be greatly over powered when the wind spikes way up. Many kiters have been injured by jumping over land. Many have stopped this practice after breaking legs, hip joints, etc. I am not sure what is meant by the statement "A Suffolk Constabulary spokeswoman said: "It seems that there had been certain modifications to his kiting equipment which caused him to be lifted high into the air."
Carolina was severely injured by jumping over land and this kiter was killed. Other stories about serious negative consequences of going high and/or fast over land are out there. It is tempting to want to boost a few jumps at the beach. The trouble is when things go wrong, best to do your jumping well out over water. Unstable weather is a serious hazard to all power kiters. Weather awareness and contingency planning, practiced and tested safety systems a large, soft downwind buffer zone can be vital for kiteboarders. If you are on land your options can be far fewer in trying to manage sudden gusts.
I too would like to extend my condolenses to the man's family and friends.
Last edited by RickI on Tue May 20, 2003 2:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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RickI
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Simon,sq225917 wrote:that certain modification would be a bit of rope attached to a rugby post.
and it was no stunt kite, not in the 35mph max we were having that day, maybe something about 3-4m sq.....
check the local weather measurements for that day, its just down the road from me.
The guy was manlifting then or suspended by a kite tethered to the goal post? Not good, not good at all. KITES ARE NOT STABLE ENOUGH TO PERMIT THIS TO BE DONE SAFELY. How many MORE people need to pay the price through paralysis, death or even through broken bones. Life is all about choices but why choose something like this with such a high likelihood of injury?
Could you upload the weather station link?
Thanks
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Chappakite
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Gpet78
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This is very sad, my condolances to family and friends
I just wonder how many fatal kitesurfing accidents have been reported since the begining of the sport. From my knownlegde there must be at least 10 fatalities for kitesurfers. Also a great number of kitesurfers have experienced serious accidents (breaking, legs ribs etc) and i think all kitesurfers have been evolved to potentially dangerous situations that could have lead to serious injury( but thankfully we were lucky till now).
So something is definitelly going wrong with this sport and many things have to change concerning the safety. Some people say it is an extreme sport so everybody who starts kitesurfing knows that the risk is high. I think the statistics are against kitesurfing does anyone has any statitistics about fatalities and injuries on other sports. Is a comparison possible??
I hope we never hear again such bad news
I just wonder how many fatal kitesurfing accidents have been reported since the begining of the sport. From my knownlegde there must be at least 10 fatalities for kitesurfers. Also a great number of kitesurfers have experienced serious accidents (breaking, legs ribs etc) and i think all kitesurfers have been evolved to potentially dangerous situations that could have lead to serious injury( but thankfully we were lucky till now).
So something is definitelly going wrong with this sport and many things have to change concerning the safety. Some people say it is an extreme sport so everybody who starts kitesurfing knows that the risk is high. I think the statistics are against kitesurfing does anyone has any statitistics about fatalities and injuries on other sports. Is a comparison possible??
I hope we never hear again such bad news
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EdDy_DiFfUsIvItY
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