DoomsDay
Sunday, May 9th, 1999, Doomsday for my plane.

After 45 minutes of great flying the previous evening, a hint of engine trouble caused me to make a precautionary landing. The location was handy as I was right next to Bill's farm, but it was 10 miles from the airport I started at. I could easily have gotten my car/trailer, but for incidental, minor reasons, got a ride home and left the plane at Bills. I knew winds would come up strong overnight so did a good job tethering, or so I thought. I woke up early Sunday, and went to the field to trailer the plane home as I figured this was a good time window before family Mother's day things. Got to the field at 630am but decided against folding the plane, as I would have been unable to control the wings by myself in the wind (15-25+, very gusty). I rechecked the ropes, added another wheel chock and went back home. Just one hour later Bill (farm owner) called ...and I knew as soon as it was him on the phone that I was about to hear awful news.

The tie-down bolts at Bill's field are configured such that the plane had to be left facing into the north wind. A strong gust lifted the plane, snapping the tie-down ropes, flung the plane up and over, against a strong steel-frame tractor shed about 75' away. My tie-down ropes were in new condition, braided 3/16" nylon, doubled. In spite of all the effort to fly safe, I blew it by over-estimating the strength of my tie-downs!!