Youve gotta watch those Jodels

[Rotorwork]

Lucky escape from ABC News.

 

Hope the woman recovers well.

 

Fly Safe

 

R W

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-13/skier-hit-by-plane-in-french-alps/6314666?section=world

 

A Polish skier has been seriously injured after being hit by a light aircraft careering down the slopes of a resort in the French Alps.

 

The ski-equipped single-propeller Jodel plane failed to take off from the snowy high-altitude runway near the ski area at Avoriaz.

 

The pilot was unable to stop the plane, which slid down the slopes, narrowly missing a group of children and passing under a chairlift before clipping the woman and nearly severing her hand.

 

"We only narrowly avoided a catastrophe," said a firefighting source, who declined to be named.

 

The 55-year-old woman was hit by the plane's propeller and suffered a "near amputation", according to emergency services.

 

She was immediately attended to by a resort doctor before being evacuated to a local hospital by helicopter.

 

"The plane suddenly appeared behind her and there was virtually no sound. She didn't hear it," local public prosecutor Patrick Steinmetz told AFP news agency.

 

Accompanied by one passenger, the pilot made a stopover in Avoriaz, close to the border with Switzerland, and was about to depart when the accident occurred.

 

The pilot was "a professional who is used to these kind of conditions" on take-off, Mr Steinmetz said.

 

The prosecutor's office was investigating the accident.

 

The plane, which was surrounded by safety nets after the accident, was to be moved Thursday night, and the ski track closed until the end of May.

 

 

[Ultralights]

sounds like someone forgot about density altitude.

 

 

[Geoff13]

You are in a runaway plane on a crowded downhill ski slope. I do not know about anyone else, but right up the top of my things to do list would be kill the motor. At least that way you are not likely to chop someones hand or Head off.

 

 

[planedriver]

Flew there with my nephew from the UK about 12yrs ago in his mates Comanche. After flying like a complete d***head on the way there with his VFR license cloud diving , I contacted my neice and returned by road.

 

I was not impressed by his antics, and with three unavoidable? mishaps since, managed to convince nephew and his partner not to fly with him again.

 

There is not a lot of margin for error flying into some of these places, and that's a bit of an understatement.

 

 

[geoffreywh]

there's a video of the take off run on you tube. It looks nasty, downhill on snow skis , at the end crossing a ski slope and chair lift area before a row of tall pines, Good luck with that....