Ex-Royal Marine from Wirral faces losing his fingers
An ex-Royal Marine faces losing his fingers after getting his hand caught in a propeller in a paramotoring accident.
Fred Littler, 62, from Wirral in Merseyside, when the throttle cable pulled his hand back into the fast spinning propeller attached to his back.Â
Mr Littler has over 12 years' experience piloting paragliders and paramotors all over the world, is fully qualified and is described as 'very careful' in nature by friends.
Paramotoring is very similar to paragliding, except that the pilot has an engine strapped to his back.
Fred Littler, 62, from Wirral in Merseyside, when the throttle cable pulled his hand back into the fast spinning propeller attached to his back
Mr Littler has over 12 years experience piloting paragliders and paramotors all over the world, is fully qualified and is described as 'very careful' in nature by friends
Paragliders have to climb a hill or a mountain to launch from, but paramotorists launch from flat ground with engines that have around 7,000 revs per minute.
His friend, Alan McNab, was with him at the time of the accident, but didn't realise anything had gone seriously wrong until they heard the propeller crash and saw Fred collapse to the ground with the engine still going at top speed.
Alan said: 'It took us a couple of seconds to realise that there was a major problem when he didn't kill the engine at this stage.
'Nobody could do anything to help him kill the engine as the throttle was underneath him and the spark plug lead was also underneath . Attempts were made at the personal risk of his friends.
'It then took at least twenty seconds from this point for the frame to give way and propellor and cage to destruct, killing the engine.
'As with any accident there was a small element of human error, but it happened because there was a flaw in the equipment design which allowed the handheld throttle cable to get through the safety cage and into the spinning propeller, dragging his hand with it.'
Paragliders have to climb a hill or a mountain to launch from, but paramotorists launch from flat ground with engines that have around 7,000 revs per minute
His friend, Alan McNab, was with him at the time of the accident, but didn't realise anything had gone seriously wrong until they heard the propeller crash and saw Fred collapse to the ground with the engine still going at top speed
Paramotor equipment has evolved over the years and the latest designs are much lighter, which can be a benefit to most enthusiasts.
However, on some machines this can cause safety problems.
Mr McNab explained: 'On some machines, like this one, it has compromised safety because the safety cage and netting, which should prevent these things, is simply not substantial or strong enough, and has gaps that allow things to get through.
'The biggest risk is on the ground and launching, due to the close proximity of the spinning propeller, which is why manufacturers need to improve the safety an d strength of the protective cage frame - which could have prevented this.'
Mr Littler is still in hospital following the incident on July 5, but friend Mr McNab said that despite the devastating pain Fred was in, he was still his upbeat and charming self
Paramotorists maintain that their hobby is essentially quite safe but that when accidents do occur they have the potential to be severe.
Mr Littler is still in hospital following the incident on July 5, but friend Mr McNab said that despite the devastating pain Fred was in, he was still his upbeat and charming self.
He said: 'He has a further operation scheduled for Thursday and will probably require a lot more treatment, possible amputation of the finger and thumb they tried to save, grafts and rehab.
'He is amazingly positive, and wants to use the situation to prevent it happening to others, but obviously has a lot of pain and some lo w moments.'Â
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