> significant decelleration.
> My injuries included a compression fracture of the first lumbar vertebra,
> unstable, and one fragment was displaced rearward 5 mm, compressing the
> thecal sac. Some very clever surgery involved removal of the body of the
> L1
> vertebra, along with the discs above and below, and replacing them with a
> titanium cage, which contained the bone graft, which will hopefully fuse
> three vertebrae into one.It was pure good fortune that the injury did not
> result in paraplegia, and hopefully I can expect full recovery. I was
> wearing the standard 4 point harness, and suffered no other significant
> injuries . I am aware this was the subject of discussion earlier - whether
> the harness as designed promotes compression fractures. That is another
> topic.
Hi Graham.
Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience. I hope you will recover
fully and be able to get your bird airworthy again. What prompts these
words are your description of your injuries in relation to the design of the
4 point harness. I seem to remember a discussion on the forum some time ago
which dealt with the wisdom of a shoulder harness looping around the
shoulders and down on the back side of the headrest - thus creating a
downward force on the body in case of a sudden stop. The longer your back
stretches up - the more pronounced this force will be.
Your descriptions of the compression fracture on the first lumbar vertebra
leading to quite severe damage in this fragile part of the body clearly
indicate that such a downward force may have caused it.
I have for a long time questioned this particular way of mounting the
shoulderharness - even more as it does not comply to recommended procedures
set forth in the JAR technical documents (or, for all I know, in FAA
recommendations). I seem to remember that the harness should not be routed
below a line going straight back from the shoulders (the angle not to be
less than 90 degrees to a line along your spine) , but may be orientated
upwards by a certain degree. I don't have access to this document now and
cannot confirm the figures.
Nearing the end to my build - I have still to mount mine, and am considering
hardpoints in the baggage comp. ceiling where to fasten the harnesses. Are
there others out there who have done it this way ? - Any viewpoints please ?
Again: I hope you will soon be better, Graham!
Regards,
Hans Danielsen, #334 in Norway
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