O.K............I reckon that I have the record here! (Not sure why we're bragging about being dumb??) Last year, I went out to test a software change on my Electron and the grass on the local sports field where I fly, was very long. It's actually a cricket field and the pitch itself was still good, so I stuck the lines out into the rough and took off on the pitch. The wind was gusty and the rpm was too high, so after the flight I placed the model back on the pitch, set the rpm lower and repositioned the model because the wind had shifted a lot.
I switched on the system with my usual 25 second delay, and walked out to my handle. I was alone by the way. Guess what?? My handle had disappeared in the long grass! When I shifted the take-off position I had pulled the lines and handle around and the result was that the handle had gone into a small hole in the long grass and was invisible. I could not even spot the lines! The motor started up and I tried to spot the handle, but of course it ran off the pitch and started lifting up. Luckily it hit the long grass first and broke the undercart off with very little extra damage. I have since been donated a bright pink shoelace for a safety thong by Lionel Smith's wife Maxi. I know that I should have use a stooge, but when there are no people anywhere around I just got lazy. It would have made a great You Tube video!
Keith R