He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart,
and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of the gods. -- Aeschylus

Paragliding Forum
"No news is good news."

WARNING -- 881 DEATHS SINCE 2002
PG PILOT WARNING: THIS IS THE WEB PAGE THAT
PARAGLIDING FORUM DOES NOT WANT YOU TO SEE.
IF YOU CAN'T THINK FOR YOURSELF, LEAVE NOW!

Paragliding Forum
"We don't see anything!"

WIKIPEDIA WARNING: READERS ARE INVITED TO COMPARE THE BLATANT ENTHUSIAST PROMOTION OF WIKIPEDIA PARAGLIDING TO THE TRUTH PRESENTED HERE.

TO MY OLD H.G. FRIENDS WHO NOW FLY PARAGLIDERS: IT IS YOUR DECISION TO FLY DANGEROUS, CRITICALLY-BALANCED GLIDING PARACHUTES INSTEAD OF SUPERIOR AIR-FRAMED AIRCRAFT. I AM NOT HERE TO PREVENT YOU FROM FLYING PARAGLIDERS, ALTHOUGH TOO MANY OF YOU ARE BEING INJURED AND KILLED AND IT IS MY PERSONAL DESIRE THAT YOU WILL STOP. DESPITE THE OBVIOUS FACT THAT PARAGLIDER EVOLUTION HAS HIT THE BRICK WALL, I WOULD IMPOSE NO RESTRICTION ON OPEN COMPETITIONS BECAUSE THEY BEST DEMONSTRATE THIS FACT. I RESPECT THE RIGHT OF STUNTMEN TO PERFORM STUNTS. WHAT I CANNOT TOLERATE IS THE COMMERCIAL PRESENTATION OF PARAGLIDERS AS EQUIVALENT TO SAFER AIRCRAFT WITH PROVEN NEGATIVE "G" LOADING. YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. THE PEOPLE COMING INTO PARAGLIDING NEED TO HEAR YOU ADMIT THAT YOU ARE PERFORMING STUNTS. THEY NEED TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT PARAGLIDING IN TURBULENCE ENTAILS A NEW REALM OF AVIATION RISK. YOU ARE NOT DOING THIS. THAT IS DISHONEST. UNETHICAL. AND IN THE END, BECAUSE OF THE HORRIFIC NUMBER OF CRIPPLING INJURIES AND EXCESSIVE FATALITIES, I HAVE CONCLUDED THAT IT IS IMMORAL NOT TO DISCUSS THIS.

TO THE LOVED ONES OF PARAGLIDER PILOTS WHO HAVE DIED: IT IS SAID THAT GOD PROTECTS CHILDREN AND FOOLS. THIS IS NOT TRUE. AFTER A WHILE, GOD GIVES UP ON FOOLS. BUT MAY GOD PROTECT YOUR FATHERLESS CHILDREN.

Risk Addiction in Thrill Sports
The particular neurochemicals produced by action sports are far more potent than any single drug around
and—since one cannot cocktail massive amounts of speed, cocaine, and heroin without ending up dead—adrenaline sports are really the only way to get this kind of taste.

881 PARAGLIDING FATALITIES SINCE 2002 (INCOMPLETE) -- equivalent to the loss of more than 2 fully-loaded Boeing 747 Model SP Extended Range passenger aircraft -- -- more than 3 times the number of people who died in the airliners during the terrorist attacks of 911 --
2012 6	2011 82	2010 95	2009 112	2008 123	2007 88	2006 91	2005 67	2004 68	2003 96	2002 53		*Thank you for the* US $1201 contributed since 2009

Who is looking? Where are they from? Statistics

    It didn't really hit me - what was wrong with paragliding - until 2009.
   Even when I watched that kid from Mammoth die in 2001; even when the key Amgen researcher died shortly before the 2002 Owens Valley Nationals, or when Jody crashed during them and died months later -- I just thought that paragliding was like hang gliding. You make a mistake, you get killed.
    It wasn't until I talked to the clowns at Paraglider Forum that I realized the truth: the Airframe is the armor for the Knights of the Wind. Only a fool would go into battle naked. Delusion is rampant. Paragliders can't handle turbulence and they have a Dead Man's Curve all their own...

CATASTROPHIC AERODYNAMIC FAILURE IN PARAGLIDING

Paraglider pilots are subject to additional layers of risk.

THE
TERRIBLE TRUTH

The issue is significant. Both recent and historic data suggest that aerodynamic-related failure in paragliding, i.e. parachute collapse or wild uncontrollability, is at a more than a 2 to 1 ratio compared to pilot error.

This ratio is dramatically different than any other aviation sport, including BASE jumping and skydiving, where pilot error predominates. These other aviation sports are considered rational because pilot error can be addressed.

Aside from BASE jumping, there are two options available for free flight that do not rely upon power at launch. Into the 1990s, the predominant one was hang gliding. Hang gliders of the early 1970s were severely deficient in design, suffering from many deadly incidents due to the loss of aerodynamic wing shape until the advent of lock-up tips allowed the stalled or "luffed" hang glider to recover.

However, hang gliding evolved. Hang gliders underwent an evolution in design and safety as the wings became more rigidly defined. By the 1980s, hang gliders rarely experienced aerodynamic failure.

Beyond this, any comparison between paragliders and hang gliders has little significance.

My research provides definitive proof that very little has changed in paragliding safety in 20 years. Experienced pilots and paragliding instructors continue unabated to contribute to the global fatality and injury rate from collapse and spiral incidents, raising the specter that experience and training are strikingly ineffective.

Training and experience appear to be almost entirely non-issues while the factor of randomness for both fatalities and serious injury is frighteningly obvious. The terrible truth appears to be that there is very little potential for designing safety improvements into a collapsible parachute.

THE ONLINE
COVER-UP

1) US -- ParaglidingForum: Within a few weeks of beginning my investigation of paragliding fatalities, my access was denied. However, a thread was initiated by the moderators under my name, entitled "Rick Masters on Flight Safety", to which I was unable to respond. Incredibly, the report of 800+ PG deaths was moved from the severely deficient Safety and PG related incidents and accidents to Cloudbase Cafe (Friday afternoon joke threads). How pathetic to think that US paraglider pilots choose to be comforted by such censorship.

2) UK -- TripAdvisor: I posted a response to a claim of 27 deaths at Oludeniz with the details of the 16 fatalities that I knew about. All posts were removed. Oludeniz Forum: Paragliding-alledged deaths

3) TURKEY -- Turkish Paragliding Forum: After 18 hours, a link to this page, titled "Accident Reports" was removed from the discussion topic "Accident Reports and Reviews."

4) WIKIPEDIA -- Recent PG Fatality List and BHGA statement that SIV training was counter-productive removed after 19 days. Authorized Wikipedia editors from PG Forum continually remove accident data from 2010 through 2011 and claim that news reports are insufficient evidence of paragliding accidents.

5) FRANCE -- A link to this site titled +700 paragliding deaths 2002 - 2010 was removed in less than 60 minutes from the parapentiste.info forum.

CENSORSHIP AT THE TOP
Stifling Dissent, Hiding the Truth

If we're going to persuade our bag-wing brethren to embrace the true faith of aluminum and Dacron, we need to lay off the pointless trolling and stop acting like a bunch of a-holes. Over and over, I've heard comments from PG pilots who are interested in HG as a crossover possibility, but put off by the attitude and posturing of some in the HG community. Such as Rick Masters and Rodger Hoyt.
Sneering and derision doesn't win friends. It just alienates and divides, at a time when we all need to work together. Hang gliding participation is down, though starting to recover a bit. Paragliding is about flat. We *all* need to be pulling in the same direction, and this sort of divisive crap is the LAST thing we need. If ever there was an example of how to contribute to the decline of hang gliding, this would be it. Knock it off!
Mark G. Forbes, Regional Director, U$HPA

The single largest threat to hang gliding as we know it comes in the form of a Trojan horse we allowed in the USHGA and which is now in the process of taking over: paragliding. This being the case, would it not behoove those who love hang gliding and want to assure its perpetual existence to begin actively opposing this interloper? -- Rodger Hoyt

DENIAL
Paraglider Pilots Comment

"blah blah blah"

Because of their slow flying speeds, paragliders tend to enter the PDMC
(Paraglider Dead Man's Curve) with very little forward motion. However,
paragliders can enter the PDMC with a wide range of vertical velocity. The fact that
this boundary is not flat may play a role in the observed delay of deployment by
pilots entering the PDMC at high rates of descent.

These pilots may be incorrectly basing their minimum reserve deployment altitude on the PDMC boundary that applies to paragliders experiencing full collapse at the boundary - which is a very different case.

Paragliders experiencing an emergency within the PDMC are likely to experience serious injury or death. In the chart above, the PDMC upper boundary is established using 4 seconds for the pilot to react, grab, throw and, hopefully, experience a successful deployment. While some pilots claim they can successfully deploy in as little as 2 seconds, observations of pilots in emergency situations indicate deployment times often far in excess of 4 seconds, indicating the PDMC boundary is set too low.

1: Collapse Near the PDMC

The left column represents a paraglider experiencing an emergency while entering the PDMC boundary. Beginning essentially from rest, the paraglider undergoes full collapse and descends at the acceleration of gravity. Note that the speed required for the reserve to snap open is reached only in the final seconds. The pilot will invariably impact before achieving terminal velocity.

2: High-speed Descent into the PDMC During a Nose-down Spiral Dive

The center column represents a paraglider in a nose-down spiral dive. A paraglider in a nose-down spiral dive does not reach terminal velocity. Although, without deployment, the pilot will impact the ground about 10 mph slower vertical speed than would a pilot experiencing a collapse near the PDMC Boundary, his distance travelled in 4 seconds is slightly farther and therefore he must deploy his reserve parachute at a slightly higher altitude to survive. Compounding the issue is a lateral speed vector that can exceed the vertical vector at impact. Centripetal acceleration can make the deployment attempt take longer or become impossible due to g-forces on the pilot.

3: Terminal Velocity Entry into the PDMC Under Full Collapse

A pilot experiencing a full collapse emergency at altitude is falling so fast vertically that he travels much farther during the final 4 seconds before impact. If he is delaying a reserve deployment in an effort to recover his paraglider, he must be aware that his deployment altitude is much higher; almost double that of a collapse at the PDMC boundary. A mitigating factor that is not accounted for in this chart is the fact that a reserve parachute, successfully deployed, will snap open faster at high rates of speed. This may lower the upper range of the PDMC slightly for nose-down spiral dives and collapse at terminal velocity.

Additional Factors Because of their structural integrity and inherent ability to exchange flight momentum for maneuverability, fixed-wing aircraft do not have a DMC. Note the difference between the PDMC and a typical Dead Man's Curve for helicopters. While a helicopter enters its DMC only by the pilot's option, the paraglider must enter the PDMC at least twice during each flight. This exposure represents risk that is additional to the baseline risk inherent in all types of aviation. Also, in terms of statistical probability, PDMC risk is accumulative over the flying career of a paraglider pilot. This suggests that paraglider pilots accumulate risk at a much faster rate than pilots of other types of aircraft. -- Rick Masters July 2, 2009

"Unfortunately there is no evidence (other than anecdotal) that learning and practicing recovery skills on ‘pilotage’ or ‘SIV’ courses actually results in safer pilots who therefore have fewer accidents. In fact there is some evidence from previous fatal accident investigations that pilots who have learnt these ‘recovery’ skills have tended, in real-life incidents, to concentrate on attempting to regain control of the wing rather than on saving their life by deploying their emergency parachute." -- BHPA April 2009

"What worries us is that we are aware that the model currently proposed by a sizeable slice of the [paragliding] industry to the pilots and students in schools is indeed unwise - and upstream, the root cause of much damage. The conduct of these businesses is apparently so simple that all too often this activity is sold as a form of flight available to everyone and once taught, with courses that approximate the basic techniques of takeoff and landing, sells flying equipment to these students. The notions of theory are taught superficially, without depth and too fast, for the sole purpose of responding to the quiz on memory examination."
-- Luigi Borsoi, Commissioner security, adviser FIVL (ITALY)

The key factor leading to paragliding accidents is the accepted legitimacy of inland flying. It is specifically these inland areas which create the thermal turbulence that cause paragliders to collapse. It would seem to me that an intelligent free-flight pilot might choose to risk paragliding on the coast where the air is likely to be laminar but would always choose an aircraft with an airframe for inland flying.

But this is not the case with today's paragliding fad. There is instead an unbelievable level of ignorance, accompanied by an unprecedented level of acceptance of unmitigatable risk, among today's new breed of paraglider pilots.

In terms of marketing, a greater sales volume of paragliders requires established legitimacy for inland flying. This is accomplished by placing paragliding enthusiasts in overwhelming positions of influence in the national and international organizations that guide the trend.

Disturbingly, education is so poor as a result that ease of equipment transport simply trumps safety in this newly defined free-flight paradigm.

In my opinion, without this cynical failure of communication and the accompanying decreased perception of PDMC risk, safer gliders with airframes would predominate free-flight.

"I think Rickmas pours himself a drink or lights a cigar every time a paraglider pilot dies."

"Don't quote Rick Masters - the guy is a screwball!"

"Generally the people in life I find the most annoying are the people who speak emphatically and with authority about a subject that they are clearly and absolutely wrong about. You cannot change their mind; they are zealots and will not alter their position regardless of how wrong they are. Rick Masters however I find just amusing."

"I'm sure that you could be simultaneously even more arrogant and inflammatory if you actually put your mind to it."

"We learn to pilot the glider to avoid collapses. Pilot input can turn an unrecoverable collapse into a minor inconvenience. Pilot skill also determines what unrecoverable actually is. What is unrecoverable for me is a 1/2 second correction for Raul Rodriguez or Mike Kung. We learn to pilot the glider to make sure that a collapse is not unrecoverable. But are you interested in this, Rick? Would you ever consider flying a PG? Are we concerned about that Cold Day in Hell?"

"You are an old fart who used to fly and enjoy himself. Now you see 'your' sport threatened by these upstart paraglider pilots. You want them to hang glide, not because it's safer, but because they threaten the future of hang gliding."

"Anyone who knows just a little physics and has some flying experience under a paraglider can see what a fool he is making of himself; he seems incapable of realising it. The picture he keeps posting is wrong in so many ways ... what a plonker, chuckle chuckle."

"The term Paraglider Dead Man's Curve was coined by sport aviation hack and intellectual masturbator Rick Masters. It entered the lexicon of small-minded hatred via the OZ Report in June 2009."

"Paraglider dead man's curve? What a load of crap."

"Some of the outrageous statements he comes out with are just unacceptable. Too much emotion, prejudice and selfrighteousness wrapped in an egocentric and arrogant smokescreen is simply useless. He is doing more to damage the growing comradeship between HG and PG communities to his own detriment. Makes one become suspicious of any HG pilot with graying hair that you happen to encounter at takeoff ...is this guy trying to bad mouth me in front of witnesses only to attract a few followers in his receding sport for old times sake?"

"The largest problem with what richmas is saying though is when he is talking about a DMC for other aircrafts and then draw a conclusion regarding safety. This is rickmas real point and what he is saying just don't make any sense whatsoever and is just total crap. Many people have already pointed that out but rickmas just ignore their arguments."

"This dude needs to seriously wise up and get a life. It is because of idiots like RICKMAS that hangliding numbers in the USA are declining. He is the HGDC- the hang glider death curmudgeon. I suppose no hanglider has ever had a fatal accident!"

"The man is a known psychopath on the persistence of the issue. But despite the psychological obsession he has actually accumulated a lot of material."

"I do think he makes stuff up. And when caught at it, Rick claims we don't need to know his sources. Honest researchers reveal their sources."

"If you want answers about PG safety that will allow you to continue flying, Rick has nothing to offer. Rick's solution is that you stop flying PG."

"Having to put up with a small group of chronic whiners in the HG camp is obnoxious. There is a small and vocal contingent of really unhappy folks - more influenced by bitterness than joy. The stated point of hostility is safety, but that doesn't bear up under any sort of scrutiny."

"How about Rickmas 'Douchebag' end of story?"

"Rick Masters - A new standout name on the list of internet nincumpoops."

"We know you don't like paragliders, we do, end of discussion."

"A lot of negative things can be said about what rickmas writes (most is just completely wrong) but I don't think that we should complain (to much) about his data collection. It is not perfect but it is at least some information and I believe that the information can be checked if you don't trust it."

"I had a chance to look at this web site a month or two ago and came to the fairly obvious conclusion that the web sites author has an agenda which is to discourage people from paragliding. That being said it would make his statistics suspect at best."

A Kite Surfer Comments

"I'm not trying to pretend to know much at all, but seeing how complacent all the flyers are about the risks is terrifying. A paraglider has to be one of the most dangerous sports in the world. It has to be. It can't all be pilot error."

A Power Paragliding Pilot comments:

Rick, I just want to say that I'm so glad that you are posting this info for every one to see and to understand the risk of flight with a PPG or a PG. If I had come to your site before [I broke my back in a PPG], I would have never taken a chance considering the wind factor that day . I have 2 kids. Trust me, everyone [in my family] is suffering because of my accident.

Hang Glider Pilots Comment

"What's wrong with the graph?"

"I have been reading and observing much of your material and I also wish to 'thank you' for providing some cogent thought and opinion."

"Launching into the abyss within forces you cannot see and without an airframe, it's just a matter of time. Rick's writing should be required reading."

"I totally agree with you that the past and current crop of bag wings known as paragliders are incredibly unsafe for flying in any kind of turbulent conditions. Maybe they will evolve with some structure but it looks like people don’t want to hear about it. Anyway it’s a big country and if they want to kill themselves that’s their choice. We flew standards but didn’t really know better – they should know now!"

"Most all of my sports starting with second generation HG's to diving have been relatively high risk and I have survived so far in spite of myself but there is no way I would fly a wing that can easily be collapsed by air turbulence."

PDMC and Uncontrolability Videos




http://adesnivel.blogspot.com/2009/09/sobreviver-acidente-de-parapente-do.html http://www.dhv.de/typo/fileadmin/user_upload/monatsordner/2004-06/praxis.wmv	http://paraglidetv.com/videos/paragliding-accidents-incidents-siv/accident-parapanta-02-05-2009.html http://paraglidetv.com/videos/paragliding-accidents-incidents-siv/crash-de-parapente-em-patu-rn.html http://paraglidetv.com/videos/paragliding-accidents-incidents-siv/frontal-with-consequences.html

A PLAGUE OF PARAGLIDERS
AT LEAST 881 PARAGLIDING FATALITIES SINCE 2002 (INCOMPLETE)

What is counted

Midair collisions
Unresolved disappearances
Ground and object impacts
Medical-related death while airborne
Falling from trees and cliffs after landing
Deaths resulting from failed launches
Deaths to tandem passengers
Speedflying on small paragliders
Electrocution from power lines
Drowning subsequent to water landings
Being dragged to death by the wind
Falling out of the harness
Eventually dying from medical complications related to injury
Brain death
Towing with intent to release
Deaths to bystanders at landing

What is not counted

Deaths of launch assistants
Non-paragliding accidents: hang gliding HG and base jumping BJ
Motorized accidents: power paragliding PPG and power hang gliding PHG
(PPG, BJ, PHG and HG fatalities are occasionally listed in bullets for clarification.)
Medical-related death after a safe landing
Boat or vehicle towing with no intent to release (parasailing)
Speedflying on skydiving parachutes
Deaths of rescuers
Kiting (static line towing, ski glider with frame) and kiteboarding
Death by firearm (suicide, murder, military force)
Parachute jump from a tandem paraglider
Paragliding in national armed forces exercises

Color Code

Tandem PG    BJ-Base Jump    HG-Hang Gliding
PPG-Power Paragliding    PHG-Powered Hangglider

    Because paragliding brings tourist revenue to poor countries, it is standard in many destinations to impose news blackouts or brevity on reporting paragliding fatalities and injuries. Many instances have been found of people associated with paragliding deliberately misreporting paragliding accidents as hang gliding accidents to maintain a false impression of paragliding safety. It is extremely common to see a sail collapse attributed to unusual atmospheric phenomena such as "sudden gusts" or "downdrafts" when these conditions are nothing but ordinary thermal activity. Police investigations of accidents seem to be almost universally ignorant of the severe deficiencies of paragliders in thermal conditions or the dangers inherent in launching and landing paragliders in active air. Generally, national paragliding organizations present an illusion of safety by reporting only accidents within their borders in the few instances where this information is provided at all. Particularly in poorer countries, requests for information are met with hostility, false data or no response. In countries like China, few reports of domestic accidents can be found, yet accidents from elsewhere in the world are often reported by the Chinese press. This leads one to suspect that domestic accident reports are suppressed to promote the appearance of national competence.

Reverberations of Mythology 2011 Rick Masters

Feb 25 -- A post on HangGliding.org forum brought the greatest number of visits for a single day from a hyperlink reference. Hidden under the topic Videos, the thread was given the title Paragliding Flame War Alert, a typical post, duck-and-cover response on U.S. hang gliding forums, with the cryptic message "Rick Masters has been busy." It only took parapologist Jim Rooney little more than 2 hours to show up to complain, bizarrely equating Chris Muller's dangerous and fatal hang gliding stunt with the deaths of over 750 recreational paraglider pilots.
Feb 26 -- U$HPA Director Mark Forbes is quoted as saying: "Over and over, I've heard comments from PG pilots who are interested in HG as a crossover possibility, but put off by the attitude and posturing of some in the HG community. Such as Rick Masters and Rodger Hoyt. ...If you act like a bunch of arrogant, sneering elitists, you'll attract a few like-minded souls. The rest of the crowd is going to hang out with the cool kids, flying paragliders." I find it amazing that a U$HPA director could turn the reaction by hang glider pilots to new research revealing over 750 paragliding deaths in just 10 years into an attack by a "a bunch of arrogant, sneering elitists." The simple truth is that the numbers of deaths are too high, we are concerned and we have the answer. But hang glider pilots should not expect the U$HPA to listen. Hang gliding effectively lost its national organization when paragliding took over the USHGA years ago as a stepping stone in its rise to prominence. In Mark's view, hang glider pilots should just shut up: "...this sort of divisive crap is the LAST thing we need." In my opinion, the last thing hang gliding needs is the U$HPA. Obviously, it's time to start over. From scratch.
Feb 28 -- Mythology of the Airframe has been receiving visits from Brazil every 2 minutes for the last 24 hours.
Mar 1 -- Imagine a study that found fatalities from driving Volkswagens with no brakes to be equivalent to fatalities by drivers of Ferraris in perfect operating condition. Would the conclusion be drawn that it's okay to drive Volkswagens with no brakes? Hardly. But paragliding pilots on forums in Canada and Bulgaria are trying to make a "Hang gliding is dangerous, too" argument to rationalize the heightened level of risk inherent in paragliders. This is not logical. The primary cause of death in paragliding is collapse within the PDMC. You cannot draw comparisons between paraglider collapses and the pilot error incidents common to airframes. Any element of danger in hang gliders, sailplanes or conventional aircraft has absolutely nothing to do with paraglider collapses. The inescapable dead man's curve is unique to paragliding. That is the problem. And the only solution is to resort to an airframe.
April 22 -- A report comes in from Slovenia of a German and two Czech paraglider pilots launching from the popular Mt. Kobala in Tomlin. First the German takes off at 12:30 but his sail collapses at 30 feet and he falls to the ground with injuries. Then a Czech launches at 1:30 but his sail, likewise, collapses at 30 feet and falls to the ground with injuries. Not to be outdone, a second Czech runs off the hill 45 minutes later and, you guessed it, his sail collapses at 30 feet and he falls to the ground with injuries. Is there any other word for this other than stupidity? I don't think so. The airframe is a vital component of safe aircraft. It allows transition through turbulence by protecting the integrity of the airfoil and the aircraft against negative G. To disregard the importance of structure is, well, stupid. The airframe is not mythology; it is aerodynamic engineering. The lemming-like stupidity exhibited by today's paraglider pilots is incomprehensible.
May 16 - Am I the only one who's fed up with this endless "freak gust of wind" baloney? A British paraglider writes "A freak gust of wind caught me off-guard as I was paragliding over the Cotswolds. One moment my paraglider was flying normally, the next its wing had collapsed, sending me tumbling into the hillside 30ft below." Listen, you idiot, it's not a freak gust of wind. It's turbulence. It's normal. Turbulence is part of the atmosphere. It's invisible. It's everywhere. If you're stupid enough to fly into turbulence on an aircraft without an airframe, your wing might collapse and you will find out that you have sent yourself tumbling into a hillside. Don't blame the sky. It's your own damned fault!
May 19 - On the heels of three deaths on the same day at the beginning of Europe's paragliding season, occurring in Germany, Italy and Spain, Austria's Free-Flight Magazine has posted this comment: "Accidents are a hot topic, especially for paragliders. The situation surrounding this subject is very strange. Issues of "safety", not only in the DHV Forum but also in the PPG Forum, are hidden from the public [unregistered users]. Because we are convinced that research into the causes of accidents cannot be effectively conducted against a backdrop of concealment, we have set a link to a page that shows another side to the possible causes of accidents." The link is, of course, to this page.
May 31 - At the head of the 2010 PG fatality list, I furnished this September 19 quote from Slovenia's Journal 24: "...at the end of July we reported that this year the accident statistics for paragliders are quite black. The Mountain Rescue from Tolmin, (one of the most popular places for paragliding in Slovenia), has reported 31 accidents. For comparison, last year only 32 accidents happened during the entire year." Now 24.com reports five paragliders stuck in trees on the same day, including some injuries.
Jun 4 - Outspoken British competition pilot Mark Hayman again comments on safety problems with paragliders in Cross Country Magazine:
"Gliders should not just stop flying nor exceed the capability of pilots to deal with departures from normal flight. All gliders will collapse in the end – they then need to look after the pilot and not make things worse. Until some rules are introduced to encourage this behaviour designers will chase performance and safety will be a very secondary sideline. Fine for the youngsters who wish to test their manhood, but no good for anybody grown up enough to realise a crash is often a life-changing event." Hayman himself, perhaps the most public and rational example of the struggle against thrill addiction in paragliding, remains an enigma, fully aware of the unacceptable danger, yet unable to break free.
June 5 - Unease is growing in Austria, as well as in many other European countries, over the rising costs involved in rescuing and hospitalizing, under socialized medicine, increasing numbers of paragliders - and in some cases the same "pilots" again and again. On May 27, the CEO of Austria's mandated public insurance company Generali expressed concern over the growing number of sports injuries. He mentioned specifically the injuries common to paragliding: fractures in the areas of pelvis, lower extremities and spine, and in the extreme case severe injury, even death. The Generali press release refers to paragliding as "a craze" but makes no distinction between paragliding and hang gliding, lumping them together as free-flight aviation. For years, I have been warning hang glider pilots that they must disassociate themselves from paragliding and make the public and insurers understand the significance of the airframe in preventing the catastrophic aerodynamic failure of collapse that is directly responsible for so very many paragliding "accidents." Otherwise hang gliding is certain to be caught up in the coming restrictions brought about by so many foolish people flying inherently deficient, dangerous aircraft.
June 21 - In response to Injured Paraglider Had No Formal Training in the Irish Times, I wrote: "Once a paraglider has collapsed, the critical factor is altitude. Without enough altitude for the paraglider to snap open again, pilot training or experience makes little difference. Many of the 28 paraglider pilots killed so far this year, as well as many of the more than 800 killed since 2002, have been highly experienced pilots and instructors. The common thread running through experienced and inexperienced pilots alike is that none of them seem to realize the vital importance of an airframe in aviation."
As if to emphasize that point, the highly-regarded athlete Alex Hoffer experienced "a fierce frontal collapse" at low altitude during the Red Bull X-Alps today and, despite throwing his reserve, broke his back on impact. [Hofer, in fact, experienced a symmetrical frontal collapse in a two-line Open Class paraglider within the PDMC. At the time, symmetrical frontal collapses were a well-known problem among competition pilots and this prominent incident could have served as a warning to the organizers of the Paragliding World Cup, CIVL or the FAI. But Mark Hayman had already brought up the frontal collapse problem when he withdrew from the British Team in May. Besides, who's listening? -- July 13, 2011]
June 23 - In the world’s only city located directly on the Arctic Circle, a paraglider pilot has managed to land in the power lines feeding Salekhard, causing the electric supply to be shut off to the entire population of 36 thousand during his rescue. The former Siberian Gulag outpost, where thousands froze to death building a still-unfinished railroad to nowhere, bears a tarnished reputation which may explain why the pilot, once rescued, immediately ran away to escape the police.
July 4 - Paragliding has now been banned at one of Europe's favorite sites, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera, "following the many accidents that occurred in the spring." The ban was ordered by the Mayor of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Patrick Cesari, after previous regulation attempts had failed to improve the safety record of paraglider pilots. I do not know if hang gliding has been affected by this ban. Again, for the purpose of preserving their historic flying sites, I encourage hang glider pilots to distance themselves from paragliding and to emphasize to regional authorities the vital importance of their airframes in flight safety.
July 7 - A month ago, I wrote "...the CEO of Austria's mandated public insurance company Generali expressed concern over the growing number of sports injuries. He mentioned specifically the injuries common to paragliding...." Well, yesterday the third paraglider pilot in a week was killed flying from Austria's Hollerbach. That can't help.
July 12 - My post to the Gleitschirm & Drachen Forum on the Piedrahita debacle: "The widespread concealment of accident information has led me to publish my own list of global paragliding fatalities and serious accidents. Although incomplete, this list is ugly and makes paragliding appear unattractive. It was a surprise to me that this list did not exist until I assembled and published it. The biggest surprise was to find that more than 800 paraglider pilots had been killed in the last 10 years! Most, of course, died when their paragliders collapsed or deformed or became uncontrollable afterwards. Now that all the national hang gliding organizations have been taken over by paragliding, it has become politically incorrect to blame the paraglider wing itself. No matter what country reports the accident, it seems that the pilot is always assumed to be at fault. This is the outcome that the paraglider wing manufacturers want. It also appears to be the outcome that the vast majority of paraglider pilots want to believe. The lie is that the wing is okay but the pilots are in need of more training. They point to many safe flights in calm air to show that the wings are safe, but when a paraglider wing collapses in turbulence, it is always the pilot who is presumed to be at fault. The truth, of course, is that the paraglider wing is bad. It loses shape in active air. It has no airframe and is not a complete flying vehicle. At Piedrahita, the Emporer lost his clothes. There was no hiding the fact that the pilots who died were accomplished experts. There was no hiding the fact that the paraglider wings had failed (frontal collapse) in the same way. The worst development, however, was not discussed. This was the vertical speed of the pilot who entered a nose-down spiral dive following a collapse at altitude (approximately 1200 meters). This speed was measured by GPS live tracking to be in excess of 125 kilometers per hour. To my knowledge, this was the fastest spiral dive ever witnessed. The implications are staggering. The FAI and CIVL must have recognized immediately what this speed demonstrated about the evolution of paragliding. The fact is that evolution in paragliding is finished. Ended. The aerodynamic drag of the suspension and control lines was a safety factor. Reducing this drag made the paraglider wing even more dangerous. It was impossible for the FAI and CIVL to continue Open Class with an average by the second day of one death per task. The fact that evolution has ended means Open Class competition under FAI and CIVL sanction is dead. There will only be Serial Class competitions in the future unless Open Class competition is held without FAI and CIVL sanction."
The shock of the dual fatalities was perhaps felt more by the media and the local hosts than by the participants themselves, who had every reason to expect disaster after dozens of emergency deployments during competitions over the years. In 2008, on the first day of the German Championship, in a strikingly similar accident, Franz-Peter Groger, flying in air described as "very turbulent, with very vibrant, violent thermals," experienced an asymmetrical collapse and fell into a rapid and accelerating nose-down spiral dive with such extreme rotational forces that he was unable to deploy his reserve.
July 13 - In regard to FAI and CIVL, I believe there is an underlying purpose in their support of aviation competitions that has served to improve the technology, efficiency and robustness of aircraft. These benefits trickle down into popular aviation. There are thousands of specific examples that are so obvious that they need not be part of this discussion. However, there appears to be a unique aspect to paragliding in that these benefits are no longer occurring at a steady rate. In fact, they have dwindled to nothing and now become negative. Unlike the vector of all other aviation competitions, the evolution of paragliding has come to a screeching and devastating halt at Piedrahita. This is not supposed to happen. The FAI and CIVL are no doubt puzzled. Every Open Class event they sanction proceeds as expected – except in paragliding. Yes, the aircraft are often tricky to fly but the pilots are expert and accidents are attributable to pilot error. But an entire field of strikingly deficient aircraft has never before occurred (with the possible exception of PWC Mexico). Seven or more symmetrical frontal collapses during one task? Two deaths? One need not analyze the particulars too deeply. Something is wrong. What is wrong is fundamental. Foundational. Unlike all other aircraft, there are no living analogues to paragliders in the aerial world. All winged creatures, from butterflies to condors, have structures in their wings to maintain shape. Only in water, where higher viscosity of the medium moderates the acceleration of gravity, do creatures without rigid structures survive. A fundamentally flawed concept cannot evolve to perfection. Paragliding today has reached a velocity/deformation barrier and has not found a way to move beyond it. I doubt that it can.
July 19 - Repercussions of the PWC Piedrahita disaster are spreading. The Spanish League has banned Open Class paragliders from the remaining 2011 competitions. To me, it sounds like, "Oh, we have banned the defective Rll's so now everything will be okay." Sadly, that is not the case. All paragliders are defective and this fact will undoubtedly be hammered home, again and again, before the year is out. Despite this, some will be surprised that I do not believe in banning any true open competition. This is how we sort out the good from the bad, or in this case, the bad from the worse. It's Darwinian.
July 24 - Hang gliding pioneer, historian and founding US Hang Gliding Association member (#5) Joe Faust forwarded his controversial post to the US Hawks to me: "Paragliding in today's understanding is the use of a parachute-like non-airframed canopy with long shroud lines to the pilot; the specialized canopy is designed for gliding effectiveness; it is a form of free-flight gliding; it is mechanically a form of free-flight kiting with the pilot's mass as the resistive anchor, the set of shroud lines as kite lines, and the canopy as the lifting wing. When used for foot launch and foot landing, the system enters at the launch and landing sectors a region where natural wind helicities too frequently place the pilot with collapsed canopy or spiraling canopy without effective rescue-parachute options; the region varies, but is not avoidable. Beginners and experts alike get injured and die for lack of having a practical option in the special region called PDMC (Paragliding Dead-Man's Curve). It has been a hopeful and exciting run of paragliding development since David Barish initiated foot-launch canopy gliding; the evolution of the paraglider has not succeeded in having a practical option for the PDMC. The industry is not facing the challenge adequately. It does not seem designers are solving the challenge; the lack of an airframed wing coupled with the shroud line mechanics forms a severe safety challenge; expert flying cannot bypass the PDMC. Organizations involved seem blind to PDMC. Participants seem on-average not to appreciate the PDMC. So, associations and clubs that combine the paragliding with airframed-wing and airframe-controlled hang gliding will be facing the decision to stay unified or to split for independent operations; the struggle to get the two activities independent of each other will take decades; awareness of the severe distinctions between the two activities by civil authorities, the public, and free-flight dreams will be a struggle. Insurance companies will be struggling with the same challenge of distinction. Both activities frequently use the same land sites and airspace. The ease of entering paragliding and the ease of owning, transporting, and storing paragliders in "bags" has resulted in an explosive growth of participation in paragliding. Framed hang gliders in association with paraglider are going to be actuarily affected by the injury rate and death rate stemming from the PDMC. At some point in time, involved associations will be held accountable for how they support activity that has the unavoidable PDMC with its assured injury and death rate. See: http://www.cometclones.com/mythology2011.htm to which page WorldParaGlidingAssociation.org now points. In some nations there is a monopoly of apparent control of free-flight gliding of the foot launch type. In the USA we are not required to join any particular private sport association to paraglide or airframe-hang glide; however some launch and landing sites are controlled using property-ownership-use rights either for commerce or intended non-profit control of risks and also sporting order. The airspace has regions where one may fly either sort of vehicle without having to join any particular private corporation. Most, but not all, paragliding and airframe-hang gliding in USA is done from controlled sites where the managers of the sites are requiring users to have active membership in a private association that I helped to found. For some now, it is becoming unconscionable to be a member in a sport association that supports paragliding activity; some are struggling to have their clubs and associations be focused only on airframed hang gliders using airframe control. Though I will deeply continue developing unmanned non-framed canopy kite systems, my personal decision is to respect the PDMC and have no further support for human-piloted free-flight frame-less sport paragliding. A consequent of this is not renewing my membership in a corporation that supports such paragliding. Controlled sites requiring active membership in a particular corporation may not be available to me; but the airspace is still legally open for flying. Sites not requiring membership in a paragliding-supporting-private corporation will be used for my launches and landings. Also, I will continue (in synergy with other designers) to design and test framed hang gliders that aim to compete with the compactness, ease of storage, ease of transport, ease of assembly and disassembly that the unframed paraglider canopy gliders feature. The momentum of the paraglider craze might one day be met by an easier-to-system-manage framed and frame-controlled hang glider. In the interim time, one may fly framed hang gliders that do not have an analogue of the PDMC."
Aug 10 - The popular free-flight launch at The Great Stone in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been closed to hang gliding due to the actions of a paraglider entering restricted airspace on August 7. The paraglider pilot rose to an altitude above that allowed by National Agency of Civil Aviation and almost collided with a commercial aircraft which reported the incident to the authorities. Fearful that they could lose their flying site, "the Gliding Club of Atibaiense (CAVL) decided to temporarily suspend the takeoff ramp at Big Rock in Atibaia."
Two collapses in turbulence within two days resulted in injuries for competitors in the Czech International (Open) Paragliding Championship. Indian Jyotish Park "lost control of his wing" and fell from 300-400 meters, breaking his back and fracturing his skull. The following day, Russian Olga Berehotnina suffered four broken ribs after a "turbulent collapse."

Antoine Amount demonstrates a paraglider's respect for cableways in December 2010

Aug 12 - A German paragliding flight instructor, Gunter W., flying tandem with a cameraman from Bavarian Radio (Bayerischen Rundfunks), has outraged the German tourist industry by causing the most expensive rescue operation in the history of free-flight, raising fears of millions of dollars of damage to one of Germany's most prized gondola lifts, and incurring huge financial losses to the lift operator by forcing the shutdown of the lift at the peak of the tourist season (2000 riders per day). At first presumed to be ignoring the regulation prohibiting flying near the gondola cable to the vicinity of the world famous castle of Crown Prince Ludwig II, Castle Neuschwanstein, the pilot was seen to illegally approach the cableway below the minimum 50 meters and was driven into it at 80 meters altitude by what he later claimed was "a freak gust of wind." However, a video just released indicates that the paraglider did not properly inflate at take off and was out of control for the entire flight until it struck the cables. The cameraman suffered a concussion. When the sail became entangled in the cables, it pulled them together, automatically halting the lift. The mountain rescue service described the tangle as "a Gordian knot" under tremendous stress due to the Kevlar lines. The lift operator feared that the stress of the Kevlar lines might have damaged the cable, endangering the fifty tourists in the lift's two gondolas. As thousands watched from the valley, two hundred and fifty rescue workers and four to eight helicopters were sent to attempt the dangerous rescues but were delayed until dawn by strong winds and rain. One hundred and thirty two tourists were brought down from the summit by helicopter. Another one hundred walked down the mountain. Thirty tourists in a second gondola were lowered to the ground by rope onto the steep mountainside. The twenty tourists, including five children, in the first gondola were trapped for eighteen hours until rescued by helicopters Saturday morning when winds subsided. After the rescue, the pilot fled to Switzerland, where he resides, "without a word of apology," (I have been privately informed by a Tegelberg pilot that he had not paid the required insurance fees and therefore had no coverage at all.) Franz Bucher, CEO of Tegelbergbahn in Schwangau, is quoted as saying. "I'm mad as hell!" He accuses the "very experienced" paraglider pilot of "gross negligence." He claims there was no "gust of wind" responsible for the accident, but that the pilot had intentionally crossed the cables for the purpose of commercial filming, an action that incurs criminal responsibility. He is working with the authorities to identify "a circle of people" involved in the illegal filming attempt. He said the gondola lift, one of Germany's top tourist attractions, would have to be shut down for several days because experts from Doppelmayr (at a cost of 25,000 euros per day) would have to remove the "ball of fabric" from the cable and carefully inspect the cable and lift system for damage. If damage is found, he added, it would take months to replace the entire multi-million dollar cable, a continuous loop that cannot be spliced. Because this incident proves beyond doubt that paraglider pilots cannot be relied upon to satisfactorily control their equipment, and because the risk of huge losses to third parties has now been demonstrated, there is a substantial possibility that paragliding will be banned at this famous free-flight venue just as it recently was at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera. Hang gliding activities are always at risk of being lumped in with irresponsible behavior of paraglider pilots or the myriad uncontrollability issues stemming from their frameless wings, but the potential for astronomical costs presented by this incident could conceivably drive the universally-required third-party liability insurance premium far beyond the reach of all free-flight participants. VIDEO 1 2 3 4 SLIDESHOW
Aug 13 - In the wake of the Tegelbergbahn debacle, where a paraglider pilot caused the most expensive rescue in the history of free-flight, six paraglider pilots launched from the Gerlitzen late Saturday on a full-moon night flight in blatant violation of Austrian aviation law. When one of the pilots splashed down in Lake Ossich for a pre-planned rescue by a friend in a quiet electric boat, witnesses from a nearby campground foiled their plans by calling the authorities. Along with the Red Cross and water rescue, the police dispatched "a large-scale search operation" consisting of several patrols that quickly captured three of the pilots. Their confiscated equipment was placed on display at the local police station. The costly incident at Tegelbergbahn and now here may prove ill-advised. One can only wonder how far the ripples will spread.
Aug 15 - Brazilian power paraglider pilot Javier Hernan Pitocco, 32, has been found guilty in Argentine federal court of illegally flying a powered paraglider "over a densely populated area in breach of safety standards, not having a license and flying single-engine aircraft in restricted airspace." Pitocco admitted in court that his unauthorized flight on April 27 over Buenos Aires was made to promote Red Bull, an energy drink company he contracts with. The federal judge also accused the company executives of "urging the flight." Pitocco is awaiting sentencing for violating Article 190 of the Penal Code, "punishable by two to eight years in prison for anyone who knowingly perpetrate any act which endangers the safety of a ship, floating structure or aircraft."
Aug 23 - In "One Death Every Three Days -- The Fatal Passion for Flight" the Italian press reports that in the middle of July a special meeting was held by the emergency rescue service SUEM and several city governments calling the Italian paragliding and hang gliding organizations to task for 30 crashes requiring rescues within seven months -- all within the vicinity of one town, Borso del Grappa. Even worse, for the past few weeks fatalities have been averaging one every three days. The president of the Italian Federation of Free Flight responded that members of his organization were less likely to have accidents, considering the number of hours flown. No doubt the president of the USHPA can make the same rosy claim, now that it has been discovered that they have "lost" their accident database. If you find the accidents listed on Mythology of the Airframe as horrifying as I do, consider that this indicates that a great many are likely not being included at all.
Aug 29 - I have just received this message from YouTube: "The YouTube Community has flagged one or more of your videos as inappropriate. Once a video is flagged, it is reviewed by the YouTube Team against our Community Guidelines. Upon review, we have determined that the following video(s) contain content in violation of these guidelines, and have been disabled: Jody's Thermal - September 22, 2002." This is the high-resolution video I assembled at the request of the organizers of the 2002 U.S. Paragliding Nationals showing Jody Lucas' launch accident - first at true speed, then zoomed in in black and white to show his line arrangement, then a color zoom to show his actions at takeoff and in flight. (The low resolution version is here.) I held off publishing the high-resolution version for almost nine years, finally deciding a few weeks ago that potential paraglider pilots had a right to see how vulnerable a highly-experienced instructor and competitor could be to a thermal at launch, and to decide for themselves if inland thermal sites were the best place to practice paragliding. Also, I was getting tired of hearing the myth that paraglider pilots were spreading around that it was Jody's fault, that it was his pilot error that caused the accident. (They eat their own.) The individual responsible for the complaint to YouTube sent me this venomous note: "Wow, just wow, imagine being such a low life piece of shit that you would use the death of a pilot to try to make your airframe look better!!" This is just one of the many nanny-fascists in the sport who "protect" potential pilots from the truth about the dangers of paragliding. IF YOU ARE A NEW PILOT OR ONE CONSIDERING THE SPORT, BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE ACTIVELY CONCEALING FROM YOU REPORTS OF THE DEATHS AND HORRIBLE INJURIES THAT ARE OCCURRING ON AN ALMOST DAILY BASIS. See The Online Cover-Up for more of them.
Aug 30 - A paraglider pilot from the Northwest (USA) Paragliding Forum, who had apparently not been warned by his peers to stay away from this site, expressed shock at the size of the fatality list. After several replies from other members claiming that Mythology of the Airframe maliciously misleads people with false numbers and anti-paragliding propaganda, he profusely apologized. One member, however, took exception to his apology, stating "You don't need to apologize to anyone bud, unless you want to suck up to someone. If I catch you trying to kiss some butt in the LZ, your going down brother. Faster then a collapse at 40 feet.. no 100 feet. GOT IT MOFO???" Another member expressed outrage at the threat, promising to call the police at the first sign of violence. It's good to see them regaining their sense of humor after losing fellow flyer Ken Blanchard to a collapse at 40 feet on Aug 7.
Sep 5 - A paraglider pilot trailing a commercial banner has outraged the organizers of a Swiss sporting event by landing in the crowded arena during multiple wrestling competitions. "This is grossly negligent and dangerous," they said. A complaint is being brought to the attention of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation.
Sep 6 - A sailplane has collided with a paraglider over Donzdorf, Germany. Unlike last year's horrific incident of August 7, 2010 in Switzerland, in which both Swiss pilots were killed, the 49-year-old paraglider pilot in Tuesday's accident managed to descend under his reserve, his paraglider ruined, while the sailplane pilot, 51, made it to the airfield at Hornberg. 1
Sep 13 - As I watch paragliding/hang gliding pioneer Joe Faust being savaged and ridiculed by the rabid imbeciles on Paragliding Forum as he attempts to discuss this website, my thoughts turn again to Brett Snellgrove, who struggled for years to make paragliding safer with equipment of his own design, yet for his honesty about discussing PG safety issues, suffered the same mistreatment at the hands of some of these very same members, who chased him to the OzReport and constantly badgered him there (as they did to me) until he took his own life a year ago next week. Here is just one of countless examples:
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BRETT: But there's way worse things than dieing - death is easy - it's living on with severe pain and disability that takes real courage. Talk to the paralysed pilots who need sombody to wipe there butt every day while they sit in their wheel chair in agonising pain. Try talking your disabled patient out of suicide because he can no longer take the daily grinding pain or try teaching somebody to self catheterise - put a tube down their urethera so they can take a piss - before you jump to conclusions you may regret later. The orthopedic ward in any hospital is full of these people. ...I can tell you there are levels of misery and suffering in this world that you simply cannot comprehend until you experience it first hand. I have seen people praying for death every day too scared to take their own life but too miserable to go on. It only takes bad accident to put you there. I would if I could save you this. I have had a ruptured pelvis, 3 vertebral crush fractures, 2 herniated lumbar disks, herniated thoracic and spinal discs, broken arm and broken tib fib torn rotator cuff, gall stones and this is far from a complete list. I have worked for many years in hospitals. I can't believe the calous nature of your response are you really that unfeeling or do you simply have a poor understanding of English? Do you really think I can't comprehend the pain of those I see on a daily basis and this implys that I think I am a god?
PG FORUM MODERATOR ANDREAS GAIS: Brett, although your list of injuries is impressive, it doesn't say much. So, you've hurt, you've seen others hurt, well done. You feel justified in claiming and holding moral high ground because you've seen suffering that others can't comprehend (can you? Have you ever commited suicide? Just checking). Somehow, this connects to the fact that you can get mangled by flying PG. Fair enough, it happens. But you atack risk taking and cavalier attitude by bringing in a tear soaked cautionary tale of horrors beyond mere mortals' imagination and that sucks. PGForum June 3, 2009
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The equivalent of two fully loaded jumbo 747s crammed with the corpses of dead paraglider pilots and hospital wards filled with paraplegic paraglider pilots from the past decade screams out to us that there is something very wrong with the sport. This needs to be discussed. But no analysis of the horrible death and injury toll can be found anywhere but here, presented by an ex-hangglider pilot! Does this strike anyone besides me as very strange? Why is covering this sport so much like covering a war? And perhaps most of all, what kind of sick and twisted minds work in concert to conceal this attrition and welcome in new blood while hounding a fine man like Brett Snellgrove to his grave? We miss you, Brett. May you rest in peace.
Sep 21 - A low time pilot, perhaps unaware that he has come to the worst place in the world to look for the truth on paragliding safety, Paragliding Forum, asks the most important question anyone could ask: "Is it accurate that there have been 850 paraglider fatalities in the last 8 years? Given the relatively small number of pilots and assuming the number of injuries is likely a multiple of the number of fatalities that seems like a pretty concerning statistic if true." The moderators have, not surprisingly, placed this humerus [sic] topic in the "Friday afternoon joke threads," Cloudbase Cafe. One of these jokers responds, "There has been a lot of comment on this forum on his and other statistics. It's really an Augean Stables of a subject. So, unless you are interested in sh*t, best to move on and don't bother." My analysis of these so-called "comments" can be found here.
Sep 22 - Driven by the high taxpayer cost of search party and helicopter rescues, the Veneto Region of Italy enacted legislation on September 6 to charge seriously injured high-risk sports participants up to 700 euros for air/ground intervention. However, following complaints that the service is being increasingly abused (even to the point of being used as a taxi service for stranded paraglider pilots faking injuries), a rescued party judged not seriously injured enough to warrant such costly rescue will be fined a maximum of 7,500 euros. (Residents of the Veneto Region will receive a 20% discount.) Rock climbers, skiers, cavers, rafters, mountain bikers, snowmobilers, hang glider pilots and hikers can all thank paraglider pilots for causing this action to become law, driven by countless examples of increasing paragliding carnage such as 30 crashes requiring rescues within seven months -- all within the vicinity of one town, Borso del Grappa. This Plague of Paragliders is not restricted to Italy. Exactly a year ago, a report from Slovenia complained "Already at the end of July we reported that this year the accident statistics for paragliders are quite black. The Mountain Rescue from Tolmin, (one of the most popular places for paragliding in Slovenia), has reported 31 accidents. For comparison, last year only 32 accidents happened during the entire year." European countries with free air-rescue policies have been a magnet for paragliding. But judging from reports I have received through private contacts, there is a growing anger among European search and rescue organizations toward a widespread lack of responsibility among paraglider pilots. The Veneto Region's action, drafted in part by the mountain rescue service of Belluno, is only the tip of the iceberg. Free emergency rescue services will soon become a thing of the past in many popular European paragliding venues.
Oct 1 - A terrible development today for Brazillian hang gliding. Francisco Honda, the manager of Parque Estadual da Serra do Itapetinga and the Monumento Natural da Pedra Grande (the national park that includes the Great Stone Monument), stormed the launch site with a contingent of military police and shut it down. For over 20 years, Pedra Grande has served as one of the most popular hang gliding sites in Brazil with no problems. But on August 10, following a near collision between a commercial airliner and a paraglider flying at illegal altitude, the regional free-flight organization Clube Atibaiense de Voo Livre (CAVL) took pre-emptive action and shut the site temporarily, promising the national park and aviation authorities that such an incident would never happen again. Today's furious and unannounced action by the national authorities suggests another violation of airspace incident may have occurred. Again, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that hang glider pilots need to formally distance themselves from all association with paragliding. Unless they present themselves to the world as a distinct and separate sport, their fates will hinge on the irresponsible actions of paraglider pilots over whom they have no control.
Oct 2 - An Austrian paraglider pilot was rescued from a vertical cliff face where the glider collapsed, fell 600m and crashed under reserve on Sunday. The Search and Rescue helicopter pilot, fearful of blowing the paraglider off the cliff, landed on top and sent a team down to lower the uninjured man to the valley floor. Last year, this very same pilot had crashed into a pregnant woman hanging out laundry from her balcony in Linz, knocking her down and inflicting "contusions and abrasions." Also on Sunday, in Salto de las Rosas, Argentina, a powered paraglider pilot at an organized "spectacle of paragliders" lost control and collided with a 67 year-old man who was placed in intensive care suffering from injuries "to the face, back and various parts of his body." VIDEO
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Jan-Nov 2011
Oct 4 - A battle is raging at Wikipedia over this site and the information on it. The topic "Paragliding" has recently been closed to editing following complaints that information and citations on paragliding fatalities and injuries have been constantly removed over the past 2 years by "editors" from Paragliding Forum who seem desperate to keep a happy face to the world about paragliding safety. In the absence of any honest presentation on Wikipedia or by the national paragliding organizations, is it any wonder that Mythology of the Airframe is fast becoming the go-to source for the truth about paragliding?
Oct 8 - In the growing struggle to keep down public-financed search and rescue expenses in popular paragliding venues, Spain has now joined Italy in preparing fees to be implemented by the Servicio de Emergencias Sanitarias. A recent study of rescues reported that 40% are the result of "negligent action of the victim," a finding similar to Italy's. The Director of the Civil Protection Agency of Castilla y León, Luis Aznar, said "people who currently go deep into the mountain in an irresponsible way will think before they do, because this will affect their pocket." Echoing the complaints of Italy's search and rescue services, Aznar complained that in some cases victims exercised the luxury of asking rescuers to bring them by helicopter to the place where they had parked a vehicle. "Abuses occur," he resolved. The new fees can exceed 1900 euros and will also apply to mountaineering, skiing, water sports and, of course, hang gliding. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks it is irresponsible for hordes of people on crummy l/d wings that tend to collapse all the time (even when there are safer, high l/d wings called hang gliders available) to head out on cross country attempts -- and then when they have problems, expect the taxpayers of their hosting country to bail them out?
Oct 11 - A paraglider pilot in Japan has collided with a 3-year-old girl while attempting to land near a playground. The child received a skull fracture when she was knocked against playground equipment. The pilot appears to have stalled and fallen vertically onto the nursery activity. Paragliders are allowed to land in the field next to the playground but are expected to notify the park manager. In this incident, no call was made. The pilot is accused of negligence.
Oct 16 - Meet Thomas Sacher, the poster boy of the new paragliding paradigm. Sacher represents the essence of what paragliding has unfortunately become: a parasite upon the right of free men to pursue their dreams without government interference. Participants of extreme sports in a free society are often considered entitled by that society to a certain level of protection and compassion because free-thinkers and risk-takers provide a vital vibrance and vision to societal evolution. But in return, they are expected to exhibit a certain level of responsibility and ethical behavior to avoid becoming a burden upon that society. Hang glider pilots have, for the most part, evidenced this responsibility for decades. But the tide of financial retribution now sweeping across Europe, driven by a desperate necessity to meet the escalating expenses of search and rescue operations, is in large part a response to to a horde of irresponsible, inconsiderate and seemingly sociopathological paraglider pilots. Sacher first found media fame by colliding with a pregnant woman on the balcony of her apartment in Linz in 2010 during a paragliding competition. Then on October 2, he experienced a collapse, threw the reserve and miraculously landed on a high cliff ledge. He requested a helicopter rescue, but for some reason, he did not pack up his equipment.

When the helicopter arrived, the helicopter pilot chose not to lift Sacher off the ledge out of fear the parachute could entangle itself in the rotor blades, causing the helicopter to crash and potentially kill everyone on board. The helicopter then landed above the cliff, high above Sacher, and sent down a mountain rescue team to lift him by rope. Despite his protestations, they refused to haul his gear - his paraglider - off the mountain. But they did carry him to safety. Then, on October 16, Sacher enlisted a friend to help him extricate his paraglider from the cliff face. According to reports, they started late, collected the paraglider, but then claiming they were trapped and faced with nightfall, called for another helicopter rescue to take them off the mountain. A search and rescue helicopter arrived, technically unable to refuse such a request, and plucked Sacher, his paraglider and his friend from the mountain. Now accusations arise, angrily, not just from Austria, but from Italy and Spain, while other countries watch, that paragliders are misusing emergency services to the extent of incorporating them as an element of their sport. This reaction has severe implications, not just for Europe but for North America and beyond, for search and rescue response, free-flight site security and insurance availability. Again, I cannot emphasize enough that hang glider pilots must distance themselves from paragliding or they risk losing what little remains for them.
Oct 19 - Two months ago, in reference to the Tegelberg incident where a commercial paraglider pilot, flying with a cameraman, became entangled in the cableway, resulting in the most expensive free-flight rescue in history. "This incident could conceivably drive the universally-required third-party liability insurance premium far beyond the reach of all free-flight participants," I wrote. Now it appears likely that neither the rescue agencies nor the cableway operator will be reimbursed for their losses of approximately 100,000 euros. The German paraglider pilot responsible for the incident was flying without insurance and has fled to Austria. In response Tegelbergbahn is now banning hang gliders who do not present a pilot's license and proof of insurance.
Oct 31 - Courts are losing sympathy for commercial tandem paragliding pilots who kill or maim their clients through negligence. A Turkish judge has sentenced pilot Murat Sait Yeşilbaçar to nine years in prison for allowing Turkish automotive engineer Caner Güler to fall to his death at Fethiye (while his wife looked on) when his harness disconnected. Meanwhile, in France, two commercial pilots await sentencing to prison for attempting to fly through clouds and crashing into mountainsides, injuring their clients. Other commercial pilots such as Osman Ersan, who died at Fethiye with his client Stephen Johnson in July (as Johnson's wife watched in horror), remain forever beyond the reach of the courts.
Dec 6 - Paraglider pilots from Paragliding Forum have become so fearful of the information on this site that they have created a website using source code lifted from these pages (which lists identical titles) to trick people using search engines to find Mythology of the Airframe into going to that site instead.
Dec 11 - A bizarre story comes in from the UK: Adam Ladd. winner of the Sports Class British Paragliding Cup 2011 and second overall, has been sentenced to a year and a half in jail for blackmail. The Ipswich Crown Court determined that Ladd had placed an extortion note in a Suffolk family's car reading “£5,000 on the doorstep within the week or face the consequences” The next week, he set the car afire. A week later, Ladd was identified triggering an alarm system at the home. The next day he was caught by police when he was spotted carrying a stepladder toward the residence. Ladd's behavior suggest he is unable to recognize when his actions threaten his freedom nor does he seem to understand that accumulating risk at a rapid rate can actually have severe consequences to his future.

CHILDREN ON PARAGLIDERS: CLIPS FROM THE WORLD PRESS

SO SAFE A BABY CAN DO IT?

Some citizens regard father taking 1-year old daughter paragliding as life-threatening.
-- Vatan Gazete, TURKEY

    Seven-year-old Sora Shrestha of Ambote, Pokhara, today held everyone spellbound for half-an-hour when she took off from Kaski’s Sarangkot Danda and landed safely at Khapaudi on the banks of the Fewa Lake. According to Shankar Parajuli, a professional paraglider pilot with Blue Sky Paragliding Company, Sora is the youngest girl to successfully fly in a paraglider. ...Rajesh maintained that a seven-year-old girl completing a successful flight proves that paragliding in Pokhara skies is safe. -- The Himalayan, NEPAL

    The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has given three days to a Pokhara-based paragliding operator to explain why its parapilot flew with a minor. Parapilot Ghanashyam Gautam of Sarangkot Paragliding had flown with two years and 11 months old Salin Thapa of Chabahil, Kathmandu, with the consent of his parents on Sunday. ... Salin’s father Sagar, who brought his son to Pokhara for paragliding to get a Guinness Book record, had said his son was enthusiastic about embarking on the adventure. However, the company’s footage of the flight showed a restless Salin crying most of the time. -- The Himalayan, NEPAL

    A FINAL WARNING ABOUT THIS SITE FROM PARAGLIDER PILOTS TO PARAGLIDER PILOTS

"Have you seen the comet clones fatalities lists?
    These year-on-year lists try to paint a picture of paragliding as simply too dangerous to be allowed, but they are simply the results of the authors internet searches with links to mainstream news media reports. Nothing more.
    These lists are garbage.
    They are incomplete, contain errors and include others sports, not just paragliding. No conclusions can be drawn from such sensationalist rubbish."
Crippled Clowns

THE SLAUGHTER CONTINUES
2011 global PG fatalities = 82 (incomplete)

Dec 30 2011 "PG Bruce" of Canberra, 48 Geary's Gap, Lake George AUSTRALIA
Found dead on January 1, 2012.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/missing-paragliders-body-found-near-collector/2408454.aspx
http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/news/local/news/general/paraglider-loses-life-in-crash/2407929.aspx

Dec 26 2011 Jose Manuel Larindez Aragua, Colonia Tovar VENEZUELA
"By falling paragliding."
http://www.elsiglo.com.ve/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10601

Dec 16 2011 Deepak Sapkal, 56 of Kothrud Kusgaon Hill, Kamshet INDIA
"Died after he fell from a height of about 20m." Declared dead at the hospital from head injuries.
The pilot was a businessman.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/2-deaths-in-a-month-shock-paragliders;-call-to-observe-safety-norms/902253/

Dec 16 2011 Oleg Tomas of Moldova SOUTH AFRICA
Fell from harness during competition in the Winelands Pre World Cup 2011.
http://forum.paraplan.md/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=516&sid=734060ea21cc69898058297f757c2b9b

Kitesurfing Dec 14 2011 Joaquin Barbero 33 Cerro Cathedral ARGENTINA
Died from serious head injuries received on Dec 10. Instructor Andres Bertoncelj reports that Barbero was ground-handling a kitesurfing wing in a level parking lot when a gust of wind lifted him unexpectedly. Frightened, he let go at 2m and fell backward, striking his head on the pavement. Kite inaccurately described in most press reports as a paraglider.
BJ Nov 15 2011 failed deployment Holly Brittsan, 24 Bad Bananas, Rock Cyn, USA-UT

Nov 13 2011 Everett A. Greel III, 51 Ed Levin Park, Santa Clara County USA-CA
Collapse at 80 feet with attempted reserve deployment. A hiker "heard the sound of a sheet ruffling and saw Greel falling with the paraglider to the ground." Comment by Rick Masters.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19332655
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_19329518
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=23928

Nov 12 2011 Felix Widrig, 57 of Bad Ragaz Glarona Sud, Laax SWITZERLAND
Found dead on November 18, 2011 by an army helicopter search team. Died alone at 2000m from severe injuries.
http://www.flash-news.at/pdfs/FlashNews136.pdf
http://info.rsi.ch/home/channels/informazione/info_on_line/2011/11/18--Parapendista-trovato-morto-Volo
http://www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/zentralschweiz/vermisster-gleitschirmpilot-tot-gefunden-187403
http://www.suedostschweiz.ch/vermischtes/vermisster-gleitschirmpilot-glarus-tot-aufgefunden

Nov 12 2011 Mr. Ono, 76 Rusutsu, Hokkaido JAPAN
"Fell suddenly to the ground" from 15m. Pilot had launched from the summit of a mountain about a kilometer away.
http://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news/web/html/211112030.html

Nov 11 2011 Elizabeth Joseph, 31 Hadspsar INDIA
Student "lost control" on third flight. Fell 50 feet. Died of multiple injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital. Leaves behind a husband George and a six-year-old daughter Angelina.
http://www.punemirror.in/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=62&contentid=2011102920111029060417762a99d7648

PPG Nov 6 2001 midair with another PPG Hideto Nakajima, 53 Noda, Chiba, JAPAN
Performers in the Noda Air Festival; the other PPG pilot sustained broken ribs 1
PPG Nov 4 2011 "Lost control" on 2nd flight David Denning, 53 Houston, TX-USA
"It's a very simple safe sport," fatalities are not very common, said his flight instructor.
HG Oct 29 2011 tow accident - lock-out at 50 ft? Lois Preston, 16 Darley Moor, UK

Oct 22 2011 Austrian pilot, 30M from Salzburg Bärenhütte, Kossen, AUSTRIA
Spiral dive from 200m. Died at the scene while rescuers struggled to save him.
http://derstandard.at/1319180957521/Tirol-Salzburger-Paragleiter-bei-200-Meter-Absturz-getoetet
http://www.regionews.at/?set_ActivMenu=286&special=details&News_ID=25807
http://search.salzburg.com/articles/22077660?highlight=paragleiter+

BJ Oct 21 2011   Antoine Amount famous PG aerobat Collet Anterne, FRANCE 1 2
     French champion aerobatic paragliding 2006-2008; speedriding champion SpeedPro
     Les Arcs in 2008 and 2009; sponsored by Red Bull; killed in private wing suit BJ
PPG Oct 20 2011 Michelangelo Patelín, 41M head injury Curuzú Cuatiá ARGENTINA 1

Oct 16 2011 Swiss pilot, 25M Jungfraujoch (4,158m), SWITZERLAND
Speedflying. "Hit a wall of ice" on launching from the Jungfraujoch. Found dead in a crevasse.
http://www.tdg.ch/actu/suisse/spedflyer-tue-jungfrau-2011-10-16
http://bazonline.ch/schweiz/standard/25Jaehriger-stuerzt-mit-SpeedFlyer-ab/story/12412968
http://www.romandie.com/news/n/Berne_un_homme_meurt_lors_d_une_chute_en_ski_en_parachute161020111410.asp

PPG Oct 16 2011 French pilot 57M seen falling into surf Vila do Conde, PORTUGAL

Oct 15 2011 _____, 53M Osterfelderkopf, Grainau, Bavaria, GERMANY
"The pilot apparently got problems with his paraglider and then crashed in the mountains." A helicopter assisted the local mountain rescue team. The pilot died at the crash site.
http://www.merkur-online.de/lokales/landkreis-garmisch-partenkirchen/gleitschirmfliegerstuerzt-1448344.html
http://www.all-in.de/nachrichten/boulevard/vermischtes/Vermischtes-Bayern-Gleitschirmflieger-toedlich-verunglueckt;art15814,1028878
http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/bayern/Gleitschirmflieger-toedlich-verunglueckt-id17142771.html
http://www.polizei.bayern.de/oberbayern/news/presse/aktuell/index.html/145072

Oct 14 2011 Klaus Kaster from Hunsrück, 74 Zeltingen Rachtig, GERMANY
Fell from harness at 100m.
http://www.moselfalken.de/icc/Moselfalken/nav/123/presse.jsp?uMen=9fc7014d-cd78-2d11-67d8-1e652700266c&ic_uCon=d8032e6c-a2fd-1319-bf8e-0f18ada3b7d8&all=true

Oct 14 2011 Guy Joseph, 25 from London, UK Mount Cogulló, Organya, Lleida, SPAIN
Body located after an all-night search by seven teams of firefighters and, by morning, a helicopter. The pilot was a marine biologist.The inquest heard that the "terrain there causes turbulence", making it difficult for fliers.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24032858-winds-caused-death-dive-of-top-paraglider.do
http://www.thejc.com/community/community-life/56650/paraglider-dies-accident
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/10/17/british-man-dies-while-paragliding-in-the-pyrenees-115875-23493539/
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cataluna/Localizan/cadaver/parapentista/Organya/elpepuespcat/20111016elpcat_5/Tes
http://www.abc.es/agencias/noticia.asp?noticia=961914
http://www.lavanguardia.com/local/lleida/20111015/54230623271/muere-un-parapentista-en-un-accidente-en-organya.html
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=43033
Mistakenly reported as a hang gliding accident in UK.
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/880117-16-year-old-pilot-killed-in-derbyshire-hang-glider-crash

PPG Oct 14 2011 _____, 49 hit power line, fell Chocielewko, POLAND

Oct 14 2011 Andrew Schepp, 40 Swan Falls, Boise, USA-UT VIDEO
Fell from harness. Experienced pilot, flying alone. Body found Oct 21. Leaves behind a wife and two sons, ages 4 and 8. The pilot was a lawyer.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/10/25/1853085/memorial-service-for-boise-paraglider.html
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/10/22/1848780/boise-paraglider-died-while-flying.html
http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/132319013.html

PPG Oct 10 2011 Missing Emilio Sales Monteiro, 38 Caceres, BRAZIL
PG Kiting Oct 7 2011 _____, 32 rope pulled with car Warsaw. POLAND
PPG Sep 26 2011 Toshihide Nomura 61 fell from 10m drowned Ishikawa, JAPAN
HG Sep 25 2011 Michael Schrott, tandem pilot 42 Hinterhornalm, Tyrol, AUSTRIA
Sep 25 2011 Markus Klingenschmid passenger 27 Hinterhornalm, Tyrol AUSTRIA
Fell from 75m on landing approach. "The kite suddenly flipped." Structural failure is suspected. Pilot: Michael _____, Passenger: Markus Schmid Blades
Etwa 300 Meter vom Landeplatz entfernt klappte der Drachen nach Augenzeugenberichten plötzlich ein und das Duo stürzte aus rund 75 Metern Höhe zu Boden.
http://www.flash-news.at/pdfs/FlashNews136.pdf
http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/chronik/Er-raste-mit-Flug-Drachen-in-den-Tod/41468340
http://www.krone.at/Oesterreich/Zwei_Tote_bei_Absturz_von_Paragleiter_in_Tirol-Drama_bei_Tandemflug-Story-297254
http://www.heute.at/news/oesterreich/bundeslaender/Zwei-Tote-bei-Paragleiter-Absturz-in-Tirol;art1303,602299

Sep 23 2011 Herve Steen, 58 Cheiron, FRANCE
http://www.nicematin.com/article/faits-divers/notre-collegue-herve-steen-nous-a-quittes

Sep 14 2011 Shigeru Komiyama, 45 of Saitama Matsuda, Kanagawa, JAPAN
Collapse. "Took off from the slopes of the mountain." Fell onto a parking lot, "strong blow to entire body." 20 years of experience.
http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201109/2011091800262
http://www.sanspo.com/shakai/news/110918/sha1109182221023-n1.htm

Sep 10 2011 Austrian pilot, 21 Middle Station Gaislachkogel, Soelden, AUSTRIA
"Collided with a tree and crashed in rocky terrain. ...died at the accident scene from his injuries."
http://tirol.orf.at/stories/537085/
http://www.nachrichten.at/nachrichten/chronik/art58,708792
http://www.krone.at/Oesterreich/Zwei_Tote_bei_Absturz_von_Paragleiter_in_Tirol-Drama_bei_Tandemflug-Story-297254

HG Sep 9 2011 Walter L. Rackl, 68 Grassau Panarotta, Levicio Spa, Trent, AUSTRIA
Found hanging dead in dense forest after extensive search. Heart attack?
TURKEY: Paragliding Toll Raises Concerns Sunday, September 4, 2011
Işıl Eğrikavuk Hurriyet Daily News, Istanbul

Sep 4 2011 Luis Jose Caire Placivel west Launch, La Victora, Aragua, VENEZUELA
Spiral dive. No reserve thrown. Collapse in turbulence leading to locked spiral dive is suspected.
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=41792

Sep 1 2011 Caner Güler, 27 tandem passenger Badadag, Fethiye, TURKEY VIDEOS
Fell from harness at 700m during professional tandem flight. “We asked several questions about safety before jumping but the pilots wanted to hurry and told us we were asking too many questions,” said Miray Guler. The wife of two years, after witnessing his fall, suffered a nervous breakdown and was taken to the hospital in a state of shock. The victim was a Mechanical Engineer. The pilot Murat Sait Yeşilbaçar was arrested and accused of gross negligence. His equipment was confiscated.
http://www.sabah.com.tr/Yasam/2011/10/31/muhendisi-dusuren-parasut-pilotuna-9-yil-hapis-istendi
http://www.tumgazeteler.com/?a=7068438
http://www.ypforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8512
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=paragliding-toll-raises-concerns-2011-09-04
http://www.haberturk.com/yasam/haber/665597-700-metreden-olume-uctu
http://www.stargazete.com/guncel/esinin-olumune-saniye-saniye-tanik-oldu-haber-379118.htm

PPG Sep 1 2011 spiral dive from 120-150m Prostejov, CZECH REPUBLIC

Aug 31 2011 Chen Rong-hong, 53 Yilan, TAIWAN
Fell from harness at 30m. Suffered a severe lung injury due to broken ribs, chest injury and heavy bleeding. Died in coma after 5 hours in hospital. Rong-hong was Chairman of Raydium Semiconductor Corp, an affiliate of flat panel maker AU Optronics with the highest share value of any Taiwan IC provider. This accident stands as the most high-profile fatality in the history of paragliding.
http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aSOC&ID=201109010025
http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1694921

PPG Aug 29 2011 stall into spiral dive Big Lake, CHINA
HG Aug 28 2011 Luke Illes, 45 of Belluno Monte Dorada, ITALY

Aug 28 2011 Steve John, 42M Newgale Beach, Pembrokeshire, UK
Collapse. Flew "into a patch of rough air." Crashed into cliff face, then fell onto rocks below. "...as he lay there, the wind caught in his sail again and pulled him off from where he’d fallen. We hoped it would open out, and carry him to safety, but it just folded and that time he fell a long way down." Heli-rescue. Later died of his injuries in the hospital. Father of two, accomplished Navy diver.
http://www.milfordmercury.co.uk/news/9227644.Family_s_tribute_to_paragliding_crash_victim/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14706653
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-14702839
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/08/29/man-dies-in-paragliding-crash-91466-29319792/

Aug 27 2011 Mehmet Safak, 48 Mount Ali, TURKEY
"Fell" after 15-20 minutes of flight. "Hard landing." Insulin shock suspected. Died at the scene. Paragliding instructor, father of three..
http://www.haberler.com/parasut-antrenorunun-olumu-2958362-haberi/
http://www.samanyoluhaber.com/s_659464_yamac-parasutu-kazasinda-olum.html

PPG Aug 21 2011 _____ Wicewo, Pomerania, POLAND 1 2
Tandem. "...suddenly collapsed." One died, the other was taken to the hospital.

Aug 20 2011 José Manuel, 47 Campo Cala del Aceite, Torrox, SPAIN
Collapse at 60m. Fell onto rocks and "died within minutes."
http://www.diariosur.es/v/20110821/axarquia/fallece-parapentista-tras-sufrir-20110821.html
http://www.malagahoy.es/article/malaga/1046754/muere/sufrir/una/caida/cuando/montaba/parapente/torrox.html

Aug 19 2011 _____, 52M Elferlifte, Neustift, AUSTRIA
Collapse at "several meters." "The sail collapsed in a gust." The pilot fell "unabated" to impact on grassy ski slope. He died during helicopter rescue while undergoing initial treatment.
"...wobei der Schirm vermutlich aufgrund von zugleich aufgetretenem Rückenwind teilweise eingeklappt sein dürfte. Dadurch stürzte der Paragleitpilot aus einigen Metern Höhe ungebremst zu Boden, wo er auf der dortigen mit Gras bewachsenen Schipiste aufschlug."
http://tirol.orf.at/stories/533135/
http://www.bundespolizei.gv.at/lpdreader/lpd_presse_standard.aspx?id=372B49772F432F575969303D&template=2&inc=tirol
The film is now being evaluated by Slezak [DHV]; video does not show a collapse.
http://www.hertener-allgemeine.de/nachrichten/region/muenster/Video-zeigt-Sturz-des-toedlich-verunglueckten-Gleitschirmfliegers;art1331,538451
http://www.krone.at/Oesterreich/Zwei_Tote_bei_Absturz_von_Paragleiter_in_Tirol-Drama_bei_Tandemflug-Story-297254

Aug 18 2011 _____, 48 Monastery of Costinesti, ROMANIA VIDEO
Crashed near the monastery. Likely trying to learn as his wife and child looked on but turned toward the cliff wall and impacted at 10m. "Died on the spot."
http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/tragedie-pe-litoral-un-turist-a-murit-dupa-ce-a-cazut-cu-parapanta-942287.html
http://www.jurnalul.ro/stiri/observator/un-turist-a-murit-dupa-ce-s-a-prabusit-cu-parapanta-in-costinesti-587659.html
http://www.ziare.com/stiri/morti/un-turist-a-murit-dupa-ce-s-a-prabusit-cu-parapanta-in-costinesti-1114934

Aug 18 2011 Austrian pilot, 51 Mt Rodica, Bohinj, SLOVENIA
"Fell." Caught in a tree. "Died on the spot."
http://derstandard.at/1313024621708/Sportunfall-Oesterreichischer-Paragleiter-in-Slowenien-veruenglueckt
http://www.sta.si/en/vest.php?s=a&id=1666544
http://www.siol.net/slovenija/crna_kronika/2011/08/v_bohinju_umrl_avstrijski_jadralni_padalec.aspx

Aug 18 2011 tandem passenger, 59 from Germany Neukirchen, Pinzgau, AUSTRIA
Collapse at 15m at take off. Crashed 100m below launch site. Heli-rescue. Passenger was resuscitated but died on way to the hospital. The pilot, a 24-year-old German instructor, suffered serious injuries. He was arrested and his equipment confiscated.
http://salzburg.orf.at/stories/532774/
In einer Höhe von rund 15 Metern über dem Startplatz schmierte der Schirm plötzlich ab, und die beiden prallten in den Hang, sagte Polizei-Sprecher Michael Korber.
http://www.nachrichten.at/nachrichten/chronik/art58,691447

Aug 16 2011 Stefan Georg Sinbernagl, 40 Vigiljoch, Monte San Vigilio, ITALY
Fell from harness at 700m. Experienced pilot. Hung by his hands until "his strength left him." Found by a farmer. Father of a four-year-old girl. Sinbernagl was the former CEO of the industrial renovation company Betonmax.
http://www.stol.it/Artikel/Chronik-im-Ueberblick/Lokal/40-Jaehriger-stuerzt-mit-Paragleiter-in-den-Tod
http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/regioni/trentino/2011/08/16/visualizza_new.html_754736241.html
http://www.capannorinews.info/2011/08/17/bolzanouomo-muore-col-parapendio/
http://www.parmaoggi.it/2011/08/17/alto-adige-si-lancia-con-parapendio-senza-agganciare-imbragatura-precipita-e-muore/

Aug 13 2011 German student pilot, 57M Alp Naraus, Flims, SWITZERLAND
Hit a chimney, fell through a roof. Died at the scene.
http://www.tio.ch/aa_pagine_comuni/articolo_interna.asp?idarticolo=645199&idsezione=1&idsito=1&idtipo=3
http://www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/graubuenden/deutscher-57-stirbt-bei-seinem-ersten-gleitschirm-flug-179048

Aug 11 2011 German pilot, 47M Andelsbuch, Bregenz, AUSTRIA
Spiral dive. "Probably lost consciousness in a spiral dive... Slammed into the ground at a very high speed and was probably killed instantly."
Der Mann hat vermutlich bei einem Spiralflug das Bewusstsein verloren und schlug in einer Wiese auf. ...Er schlug auf der Wiese mit sehr hoher Geschwindigkeit auf und dürfte sofort tot gewesen sein.
http://vorarlberg.orf.at/stories/531699/
http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/chronik/Unglueck-in-Vorarlberg-Deutscher-Paragleiter-stuerzte-in-Tod/37051543

Aug 7 2011 Kenneth Blanchard, 53M Tiger Mt, Squak Mt State Park, Issaquah, WA-USA
Collapse at 15m. "Witnesses told authorities they saw the paraglider gliding on what appeared to be a thermal current, and watched as he came toward them in a northeasterly direction. Then suddenly the wing of the paraglider started twisting and spinning out of control and it collapsed about 40 to 50 feet above the ground before crashing in a pasture." The pilot, an Electrical Engineer, died at the scene.
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Paraglider-dies-in-crash-near-Squak-Mountain-1770837.php
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/127274818.html

Aug 2 2011 French pilot, 38M Corne de Parabois, Zinal, Valais, SWITZERLAND
Collapse at 300m. "His sail suddenly collapsed and he was unable to get it open again..."
"He was at about 2,240 metres when his sail closed and he slammed into a rockface."
http://genevalunch.com/blog/2011/08/03/paraglider-accident-frenchman-dies-in-zinal/
http://www.tdg.ch/actu/suisse/zinal-francais-tue-parapente-2011-08-03
http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/suisse/story/Accident-mortel-de-parapente-17064389

Jul 30 2011 Neliton Hudson Gusmao, 34 Minas Gerais, BRAZIL
Found dead in tree. Broken bones. Probably dead for 5 hours before body was discovered.
http://eptv.globo.com/noticias/NOT,4,280,361182,Piloto+de+parapente+morre+apos+queda+em+fazenda.aspx

His belief that a PPG was a real aircraft cost him everything -- the PDMC applies to PPGs. - RM
PPG Trike Jul 29 2011 Patrick Beladina 58M Saintes, Charente-Maritime FRANCE 1 2
Collapse at 30m. Licensed ultralight pilot Beladina, father of two, owned the Castle Mouillepied, a three star hotel in Port-d'Envaux in Charente-Maritime.
Sa voile s'est alors mise en torche, et il a fait une chute d'une trentaine de mètres.
PPG Jul 26 2011 Ishikawa, JAPAN

July 21 2011 German pilot, 59 Oberes Mölltal, Grosskirchheim, AUSTRIA
"Lost control". Crashed onto road. Died of fatal injuries.
http://www.girstmair.net/flashnews/pdfs/FlashNews135.pdf

July 17 2011 _____ Krkonose Mts, Janske Lazne, CZECH REPUBLIC
"Crashed into the forest."
http://www.rozhlas.cz/zpravy/regiony/_zprava/na-cerne-hore-v-krkonosich-zahynul-paraglidista--922411
http://zpravy.idnes.cz/na-cerne-hore-v-krkonosich-zahynul-paraglidista-ftk-/krimi.aspx?c=A110717_190542_krimi_jan

PPG Jul 17 2011 Michael Rademacher 54 of Brainerd, Minnesota Clear Lake MN-USA 1
"The paraglider became tangled in a tree branch, causing him to careen into a parked vehicle below." The pilot died at the scene.
PPG Jul 17 2011 Mr. Lim, 53 Chungnam Boryeong, KOREA 1
Collapse at 15m at landing.

Jul 15 2011 Belgian pilot 37, from Antwerp Fumay, Ardennes, FRANCE
Fell into a forest and hit a tree, suffering a compound fracture (bone protruding through flesh) to the leg. Suspended 10m in the air, pilot died from blood loss and shock while a rescue team struggled through difficult terrain to reach him.
http://www.lunion.presse.fr/article/region/urgent-accident-mortel-de-parapente

Jul 14 2011 Osman Ersan, 37 tandem pilot Badabag, Fethiye, TURKEY
Harness problem suspected. Entered continuous spiral at 500m, 8 revolutions, crashed onto rocks in a valley at the foot of the mountain. Ersan was a professional tandem pilot with ten years experience and thousands of successful flights, and a member of the Pilots Union of Oludeniz. Married and father of 1 child.
"The very experienced pilot lost control of the canopy and entered a spin."
"Osman çok tecrübeli pilottu. Havada dönüşe girerek paraşütün kontrolünü kaybetmiş"
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=p262872#p262872
http://www.sabah.com.tr/Gundem/2011/07/15/babadagda-parasut-kazasi-2-olu
http://www.haberturk.com/yasam/haber/648506-parasut-kazasi-2-olu
http://www.sabah.com.tr/Yasam/2011/07/14/fethiyede-parasut-kazasi
http://haber.gazetevatan.com/olume-uctular/388687/7/Yasam
Jul 14 2011 Stephen Arthur Johnson, 67 of UK tandem passenger Badabag, Fethiye, TURKEY
Harness problem suspected. Entered continuous spiral at 500m, 8 revolutions, crashed onto rocks in a valley at the foot of the mountain. Johnson, a British teacher, was a client of a commercial tandem operator who was also killed. Both bodies were collected by a military helicopter team, placed in body bags and delivered to a morgue.
http://www.sabah.com.tr/Gundem/2011/07/15/babadagda-parasut-kazasi-2-olu
http://www.haberturk.com/yasam/haber/648506-parasut-kazasi-2-olu

Jul 11 2011 Johnny Dean Norris, 56 Pasadena, TX-USA
Died from complications stemming from a collapse in Mexico on Jan 10 2009
"...took a big deflation while flying quite low in strong conditions" Broken ribs, internal injuries.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TXWingNuts/messages/10877?threaded=1&m=e&var=1&tidx=1

Jul 10 2011 tow accident died from extensive internal injuries 48F Lenzo, POLAND
Z relacji świadków wynika, że do wypadku doszło podczas startu paralotni za wyciągarką.
http://www.gloswielkopolski.pl/fakty24/wielkopolska/425121,leszno-smierc-paralotniarki,id,t.html?cookie=1

July 9, 2011
DEATH SPORT: FAI Terminates Paragliding World Championship in Piedrathita, Spain
http://www.larioja.com/agencias/20110709/mas-actualidad/espana/piedrahita-clausura-semana-antes-mundial_201107091517.html

July 8, 2011
END OF OPEN CLASS: CIVL Suspends Certification of Competition Class Paragliders VIDEO
http://www.piedrahita2011.com/piedrahita2011/news/en

"These newer gliders are, in my opinion, and from evidence I’ve seen with my own eyes during competitions, almost irrecoverable by even very highly skilled pilots if they have large frontal collapses. ...If a pilot like me cannot control a competition glider under all circumstances then the sport is rotten to the core and in need of change. ...I have always detested the way everybody banalises accidents or, even worse, glorifies them and I dislike the tendency to always try to find a reason for those accidents anywhere other than the obvious – the equipment being flown."
British competition pilot Mark Hayman
Resignation letter to British paragliding team May 2011

Jul 6 2011 Eitel von Muhlenbrock, 44 of Chile Piedrahita, SPAIN
Frontal collapse at 1200m leading to "heavy rotation." [nose-down spiral dive] Head injury. No emergency reserve was deployed by the experienced aerobatics pilot and winner of the 2010 Santiago Open Class paragliding competition. The pilot, unconscious, died at the scene. Muhlenbrock was head of the Iquique Paragliding Association (North Zone) and leaves behind a wife and two children. Five other competitors deployed reserves after their paragliders experienced frontal collapse. Also, there were 4 reserve deployments during the previous two days.
http://www.lasegunda.com/noticias/internacional/2011/07/660955/tragedia-en-mundial-de-parapente-chileno-muere-durante-ejercicio-en-espana
http://www.swissleague.ch/League/News/tabid/289/view/newsentry/event/details/arg_0/francisco-vargas-eitel-von-muhlenbrock/datamodule/659/Default.aspx
http://www.xcmag.com/2011/07/paragliding-world-championships-2011-statement-and-update/
One of two competitors killed on the second day of the 2011 Paragliding World Championships. The Piedrahita City Council has declared two days of mourning and is deliberating with the FAI whether or not to cancel the competition.
http://www.xcmag.com/2011/07/tragedy-hits-paragliding-world-championships-2011/
http://www.aviladigital.com/subseccion/subseccion2/la-muerte-de-dos-pilotos-tine-de-luto-el-mundial-de-parapente-114068.aspx
http://www.google.com/hostednews/epa/article/ALeqM5i89FFLaYniz4l-bJLTSGq8PlKPog?docId=1564212
"While mishaps are not uncommon in this specialty sport is surprising because the victims are two experienced paragliders, as evidenced by their participation in an international contest. ...Piedrahita Mayor, Federico Martin, expressed his "distress" by the tragedy, while expressing his dismay at the coincidence of the two fatalities in an event of this size.
http://www.larioja.com/rc/20110706/sociedad/mueren-pilotos-durante-mundial-201107061958.html
http://www.marca.com/2011/07/06/mas_deportes/otros_deportes/1309978570.html
[Note by Rick Masters: Critics of the Paraglider Dead Man's Curve chart should observe that the nose-down spiral dive maximum speed to impact is specified as 62 mph. GPS transmission from Muhlenbrock indicated a vertical speed of "more than" 100 kph ( 62.14 mph). At this speed, Muhlenbrock would have entered the PDMC, defined as passing through the 4-second emergency reserve deployment limit, above 125 meters. The published live data suggests, however, that Muhlenbrock attained 126 kph or 78.3 mph, one of the highest vertical speeds ever observed in a nose-down spiral dive. A maximum spiral dive produces a centripetal acceleration force of approximately 4+ gravities, making it extremely difficult or impossible to deploy a reserve.]

Jul 6 2011 Francisco "Tato" Vargas, 50 of Argentina Piedrahita, SPAIN
Frontal collapse at 100m. Pilot descended in a "stable stall," but then "slightly above ground was a violent rotation of 180 degrees." No emergency reserve was deployed. The pilot died instantly. At least 5 other competitors deployed reserves after their paragliders experienced frontal collapse. Also, there were 4 reserve deployments during the previous two days.
http://www.swissleague.ch/League/News/tabid/289/view/newsentry/event/details/arg_0/francisco-vargas-eitel-von-muhlenbrock/datamodule/659/Default.aspx
http://www.xcmag.com/2011/07/paragliding-world-championships-2011-statement-and-update/
One of two competitors killed on the second day of the 2011 Paragliding World Championships. Vargas was the national paragliding champion of Argentina in 2006 and 2009, and a professional instructor and paragliding adventure guide. Leaves a wife, a teenage daughter and a 5-year old son. The Piedrahita City Council has declared two days of mourning and is deliberating with the FAI whether or not to cancel the competition.
http://www.losandes.com.ar/notas/2011/7/7/ultimo-tragico-vuelo-mejor-parapentista-mendocino-579200.asp
http://www.diariouno.com.ar/edimpresa/2011/07/07/nota276462.html
http://www.xcmag.com/2011/07/tragedy-hits-paragliding-world-championships-2011/
http://www.aviladigital.com/subseccion/subseccion2/la-muerte-de-dos-pilotos-tine-de-luto-el-mundial-de-parapente-114068.aspx
http://www.google.com/hostednews/epa/article/ALeqM5i89FFLaYniz4l-bJLTSGq8PlKPog?docId=1564212
"While mishaps are not uncommon in this specialty sport is surprising because the victims are two experienced paragliders, as evidenced by their participation in an international contest. ...Piedrahita Mayor, Federico Martin, expressed his "distress" by the tragedy, while expressing his dismay at the coincidence of the two fatalities in an event of this size."
http://www.larioja.com/rc/20110706/sociedad/mueren-pilotos-durante-mundial-201107061958.html
http://www.marca.com/2011/07/06/mas_deportes/otros_deportes/1309978570.html

Jul 5 2011 German pilot, 50 Hollerbach, Pinzgau, AUSTRIA
Collapse in thermal turbulence. No witnesses. Body discovered near Wildalm a day or two after the accident. Pilot was a doctor from Wernigerode. Third paragliding death from this launch in nine days.
http://www.tt.com/csp/cms/sites/tt/%C3%9Cberblick/Chronik/ChronikContainer/3015681-8/pinzgau-deutscher-arzt-bei-gleitschirmabsturz-get%C3%B6tet.csp
http://salzburg.orf.at/stories/525194/
http://www.salzburg.com/online/salzburg/pinzgau/Neuerlich-toedlicher-Paragleiter-Absturz.html?article=eGMmOI8VfFvrGoUIiiAx3rYIaTDMctBpNctics1&img=&text=&mode=

Jul 4 2011 Swiss pilot, 41 of Aargau Gasthof Berghof, Hollerbach, Pinzgau, AUSTRIA
Collapse at 20m "in thermal turbulence" shortly after takeoff. Pilot died after 60 minutes. Second paragliding death at this launch in one week.
Laut Augenzeugen klappte der Schirm zusammen, und der Sportler stürzte aus einer Höhe von etwa 20 Metern senkrecht auf eine Wiese.
http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/chronik/Toter-bei-Gleitschirm-Absturz-im-Pinzgau/33211254
http://www.regionews.at/?set_ActivMenu=286&special=details&News_ID=21814
http://www.salzburg.com/online/ticker/aktuell/Hollersbach-Toedlicher-Absturz-eines-Paragleiters.html?article=eGMmOI8VdeV27ZBsyWY95I3rfEaMgomJ6UVKPz0&img=&text=&mode=
http://www.girstmair.net/flashnews/pdfs/FlashNews135.pdf

Parasailing July 3 2011 Portuguese tourist, 54F Playa de Palma, SPAIN
While being towed by a speedboat, strong winds threw a mother and daughter into a tree. They were thrown to the ground. The mother died a few days later. The daughter, 19, suffered severe spinal injuries. The family is suing the operator.

Jul 1 2011 Xavier Murillo, 55 of France Cordillera Blanca, Ancash Valley, PERU
Found dead "tangled up with his glider."
http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/french-paraglider-found-dead-in-the-peruvian-andes_161696.html
Lost in Andes Jul 1. Organizer of the Paragliding World Cup with 25 years experience. Held the Australian distance record. Author of "Parapente" (1998) and ""La loca historia del parapente" 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
http://www.xcmag.com/2011/07/xavier-is-missing-kiwi-johnson-reports-from-peru/

? June 29 2011 David Brown, 37 of Canada Moab, UT-USA
Body found 400 feet below canyon rim by a hiker near Moab on Oct 26, 2011. A "champion of American skydiving" with more than 13,000 jumps, an instructor at Skydive Moab and a team member of Team Mandrin skydiving."
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52139625-78/brown-macbeth-moab-navarre.html.csp
http://www.branchez-vous.com/info/actualite/2011/10/un_parachutiste_canadien_est_retrouve_mort_12593531.html
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17827599
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/8662bf9799c64f15b3198186c92add35/UT--Missing-Skydiver-Moab/

Jun 29 2011 Nobuo Fukasawa, 66M Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, JAPAN
Hit tree, fell 5m. Chest injuries. Died in hospital.
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20110629-00000576-san-soci
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/affairs/news/110629/dst11062916590022-n1.htm

Jun 28 2011 Swiss pilot, 33M Salzburg, Pinzgau, AUSTRIA
Collapse. No witnesses. "Fell into a steep gully... and was killed." Difficult rescue. "Strong, gusty wind."
"Zum Zeitpunkt des Unfalls blies allerdings ein böiger Wind." Möglicherweise habe das zum Zusammenklappen des Gleitschirms und zum Absturz geführt.
http://www.blick.ch/news/ausland/schweizer-gleitschirm-pilot-tot-175631
http://www.salzburg.com/online/nachrichten/chronik/Toedlicher-Paragleiter-Absturz-in-Neukirchen.html?article=eGMmOI8VecMBZH5NZD5PbVlzf2lIh5tvoMyc9cy&img=&text=&mode=
http://www.nachrichten.at/nachrichten/chronik/art58,660129
http://www.24heures.ch/actu/suisse/pilote-parapente-suisse-tue-autriche-2011-06-29
http://www.girstmair.net/flashnews/pdfs/FlashNews135.pdf

Jun 24 2011 Necdet Serdar, 49M Fethiye, TURKEY
Collapse at 55m. "After rising, the parachute closed and began to lose altitude." Fell onto rocks. Broke both legs, head injuries. Died in hospital a few hours later.
http://www.haberdar.com/haber/helikopterle-kurtarilan-parasutcu-hayatini-kaybetti-2867669
http://www.gazete5.com/haber/fethiye-de-parasut-kazasi-necdet-serdar-ozlu-yarali-119095.htm
http://www.kastamonupostasi.com/kposta3/index.asp?fuseaction=home.dsp_news&catid=4&cid=17289

PPG Jun 24 2011 collapse 58M Birobidzhan, BELARUS

Jun 23 3011 Jefferson Rodrigues de Albuquerque Silva, 24 Dois Irmãos do Buriti, BRAZIL
Collapse at 15m serious head injury "A gust of wind may have been the cause." Died in intensive care from injuries sustained on Jun 19, 2011.
http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/morre-praticante-de-parapente-que-caiu-de-altura-de-15-metros-em-mato-grosso-do-sul-2758336
http://www.capitalnews.com.br/ver_not.php?id=214580&ed=Geral&cat=Not%C3%ADcias
http://www.correiodoestado.com.br/noticias/praticante-de-parapente-cai-durante-pouso-em-sidrolandia_114943/
http://www.consuladosocial.com.br/?p=110608

Jun 20 2011 German pilot, 54M Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, FRANCE
Collapse at 100m. "A gust of wind folded his sail..." The pilot had 20 years of paragliding experence and flew regularly at the site.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2011/06/20/97001-20110620FILWWW00681-parapente-deces-dans-les-alpes.php

Jun 17 2011 Bulgarian pilot from Plovdiv, 27M Dobrostan, BULGARIA
Spiral dive. "...lost control over his paraglider and fell in woodland." "In all probability he was panicked, because, according to eyewitnesses, he did not try to open the reserve parachute." Died at the scene. A musician in the Burgas Philharmonic Orchestra.
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n252654
http://www.standartnews.com/news/details/id/107076/
След излитане около 18:00 часа, в спокойни условия пилота прави спирала, от там при опит за втора спирала на малка височина (не повече от 200 м над терена) , пренатяга спиралата без енергия и влиза в негативна. Прави две витки-три витки след което крилото се оправя и пилота остава насукан. Започва да се развърта и крилото влиза в много динамична стръмна спирала, която не можем да кажем как се е получила. На втора или трета витка се късат върви (нямаме точна информация за това, тъй като крилото не е при нас). Вероятно пилота е минал през върви и се е получил голям динамичен удар, тъй като при огледа на място позицията на крилото и пилота сочат нещо подобно. С голяма скорост пада в храстовидна растителност до дърво. Починал е на място.
http://forum.skynomad.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5177

Jun 12 2011 Mikhail Kuznetsov RUSSIA
Attempted aerobatics without a reserve. Lost control. Second crash that day. "...was fighting with the wing until he hit the rocks. ...Local pilots from that area almost never throw reserves. ...They prefer trying to recover the wing until the last moment." Suffered intercranial hematoma, broken pelvis, broken ribs. Died on June 16 without coming out of a coma.
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=39851&start=0

?PPG Jun 6 2011 "lost control of his machine" 35M Razmetelevo Vsevolzhsk, Leningrad, RUSSIA
http://www.rg.ru/2011/06/06/reg-szapad/paraplan-anons.html

Jun 3 2011 Robert Michel Gaillardon, 55 from Toulouse, France
Beco dell Aquila, Mount Brenta, Trentino, ITALY
Spiral dive. The paraglider "...suddenly rotated 180 degrees ... and crashed against the rocky wall." The pilot died instantly. Difficult rescue.
"...il paracadute si e' aperto regolarmente ma all'improvviso si e' girato di 180 gradi. Il turista si e' schiantato cosi' contro la parete rocciosa."
http://www.flash-news.at/pdfs/FlashNews136.pdf
http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/cronaca/2011/06/03/visualizza_new.html_841480871.html
http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/News/Cronaca/Trento-si-schianta-con-il-parapendio-morto-turista-francesce_312090837946.html

May 26 2011 _____ Kalocsa, HUNGARY
"Pilot died of wounds in hospital."
http://www.mixonline.hu/Cikk.aspx?id=56816

May 26 2011 Raúl León Villanueva, 43 Cowl Peak, Teruel, Benasque Huesca, SPAIN
Collapse in lee turbulence. Experienced pilot died at the scene. Heli rescue. A mason and ranger.
http://www.radiohuesca.com/Hemeroteca/Noticia.aspx?codigo=505314
http://www.diariodelaltoaragon.es/NoticiasDetalle.aspx?Id=690401
http://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/noticia.asp?pkid=675155
http://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/noticia.asp?pkid=675422

May 13 2011 Pilot from Freiburg, 72M Schauinsland, GERMANY
Found dead.
http://www.suedkurier.de/region/schwarzwald-baar-heuberg/freiburg/Gleitschirmflieger-toedlich-abgestuerzt;art372515,4887283

May 13 2011 Alexander Alfarè Lovo, 27 Casamazzagno, ITALY
Collapse into spiral dive or autorotation at 40m. "The sail suddenly closed." Died instantly.
"...la vela si è improvvisamente chiusa e lui è caduto su un prato..."
http://www.ilquotidianoitaliano.it/cronaca/2011/05/news/belluno-cade-dal-parapendio-muore-27enne-83153.html/
"...pare per un colpo di vento, la vela si è improvvisamente chiusa. Il poveretto è andato in rotazione su se stesso ed è caduto a terra..."
http://www.montagna.tv/cms/?p=34500

May 13, 2011 Javier González N., 32 Eulate, Navarra, SPAIN
Electrocution. "Fell to the ground from a considerable height." Died during resuscitation attempt.
http://www.noticiasdealava.com/2011/05/14/sociedad/euskadi/un-vecino-de-vitoria-fallece-en-un-accidente-de-parapente-en-navarra
http://www.hoy.es/agencias/20110513/mas-actualidad/nacional/fallece-chocar-parapente-tendido-alta_201105132058.html
http://www.eitb.com/noticias/sociedad/detalle/657697/fallece-al-chocar-su-parapente-tendido-eletrico-eulate/

May 6 2011 _____, 48 Goldau, SWITZERLAND
Collapse. "He was injured so severely that he died at the accident site."
http://bazonline.ch/panorama/vermischtes/Gleitschirmpilot-stuerzt-in-den-Tod/story/13807263
Paragliding is a dangerous extreme sport, which regularly leads to death.
Gleitschirmfliegen bleibt eine gefährliche Extremsportart, die laufend zu Todesfällen führt.
http://www.polizeibericht.ch/ger_details_33725/Goldau_SZ_Gleitschirmpilot_toedlich_verunfallt_-_Der_48jaehrige_Mann_stuerzte_auf_die_Untere_Bahnhofstrasse.html

PPG May 6 2011 Hideto Nakajima Hokuto Noda, Chiba, JAPAN
Midair at NODA Sky Festival

May 3 2011 Yamamoto Satoshi, 56 Shimizu Mikage, Urahoro Hokkaido, JAPAN
"Took off from a cliff 50 meters above the high hills, crashed during glide."
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20110503-OYT1T00504.htm
http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201105/2011050300571

Apr 30 2011 Patrice Blaser, 61 St. Leon-sur-Vézère, Côte de Jor, Dordogne, FRANCE
Collapse in thermal turbulence at 15m. A "cone of dust" was observed at the landing area as Blaser approached. He experienced several closures and recoveries but hit the ground with "pendulum effect" as the wing continued out of his control. The pilot was conscious for 10 minutes but experienced cardiac arrest and died from internal bleeding. He was the Secretary of Perigord Paragliding with 5 years experience. Father of 2.
http://www.parapentiste.info/forum/incidents-accidents-de-parapente/mort-dun-parapentiste-en-dordogne-t18574.0.html
http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2011/04/30/97001-20110430FILWWW00497-un-parapentiste-se-tue-en-dordogne.php
http://www.bild.de/home/telegramm/home-telegramm/telegramm-15478948,textId=17672436.bild.html
"Als der Schirm zusammenklappte, stürzte der Mann zu Boden."
http://www.freiepresse.de/LOKALES/ERZGEBIRGE/ZSCHOPAU/Gleitschirmflieger-toedlich-verunglueckt-artikel7647934.php

Apr 24 2011 M.S., 51 Upper Medjurovo, Nis, SERBIA
http://212.200.191.58/sr_ci/hronika/poginuo-paraglajdista-u-gornjem-medjurovu_250628.html

Apr 23 2011 Mark Walter, 30 Tegelberg in Schwangau Ostallgäu, GERMANY
Asymmetric collapse into spiral dive at 100m.. Reserve not thrown. Died at the scene.
Während dieser Flugphase klappte plötzlich die rechte Seite des Gleitsegels ein und das Fluggerät ging sofort in eine Steilspirale über und verlor schnell an Höhe. Ohne sein Rettungsgerät betätigt zu haben, schlug der Pilot rund 100 Höhenmeter tiefer in einem felsdurchsetzten Steilgelände auf.
http://www.suedkurier.de/region/bodenseekreis-oberschwaben/allgaeu/Todesflug-mit-Gleitschirm;art378131,4850434
http://www.girstmair.net/flashnews/pdfs/FlashNews134.pdf
"His paraglider folded suddenly in the air."
"Sein Gleitschirm klappte in der Luft plötzlich ein."
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/unfall-am-tegelberg-gleitschirmflieger-stuerzt-aus-metern-in-den-tod-1.1088838
...stürzte der Gleitschirmflieger am Ostersamstag am Tegelberg bei Schwangau aus etwa 100 Metern Höhe ab, weil sich sein Schirm in der Luft an einer Seite eingeklappt hatte.
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/unfall-am-tegelberg-gleitschirmflieger-stuerzt-aus-metern-in-den-tod-1.1088838
"Hit Radio FFH mourns its leader Mark Walter: The 30 year old died on Holy Saturday in a paragliding accident in Bavaria."
http://www.bad-vilbel-online.de/Bad-Vilbel/event/content/pid/35/Nachrichten/id/19705/FFH-Moderator-Markus-Walter-ist-tot/

HG Apr 23 2011 dive from 50m German 44 Altes Lager, Berlin, GERMANY
PPG Apr 22 2011 asymmetric collapse at ~15m Jamnitsa Stěbořice CZECH REPUBLIC

Apr 20 2011 _____ Lisca, SLOVENIA
http://www.paragliding-slovenia.si/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5504
http://24ur.com/novice/crna-kronika/smrt-jadralnega-padalca.html

Apr 17 2011 Zhou, 50M Phoenix Mountain, Lantau, CHINA
The paraglider fell rapidly, out of control, and crashed into a rocky hillside. The pilot lapsed into a coma from head injuries, then after a difficult heli-rescue, died in the emergency room.
http://www.rcsail.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2016&sid=dde21abec5972cd5a30506e50b24385d

Apr 16 2011 Hiram Vitor Stringari, 14 passenger tandem Blumenau, Santa Catarina, BRAZIL
Fell from harness at 100-150m. Body with multiple fractures found after a 15 hour search. UPDATE
http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/cidades,adolescente-morre-em-queda-de-parapente-em-santa-catarina,707500,0.htm
http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/noticias/0,,OI5081576-EI8139,00-SC+banco+de+parapente+se+solta+e+adolescente+morre+em+queda.html
http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/adolescente-de-14-anos-morre-ao-cair-de-parapente-em-santa-catarina-2795207
The FCVL does not allow people under 16 years flying even with parental consent. [Pilot Aureli Joao dos Santos, 52] will be charged with manslaughter. Tandem paragliding has been banned.
http://www.clicrbs.com.br/especial/sc/horadesantacatarina/19,792,3278046,Piloto-sera-indiciado-por-homicidio-culposo.html

April 9 2011 _____ Mavo-Hama, Golan Heights, ISRAEL
"A paraglider landed in a minefield... An IAF helicopter and an Engineering Corps force is attempting to rescue him."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4054373,00.html
"A paraglider who crashed in the Golan Heights earlier was pronounced dead by a military doctor."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4054436,00.html
"The cliff serves as an illegal starting point for paragliders..."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4102016,00.html

Apr 9 2011 _____, 45 Berga Lingen, Rickenbach, Hotzenwald, GERMANY
Collapse at 15-20m. Experienced pilot. Died at the scene.
http://www.suedkurier.de/region/hochrhein/rickenbach/Gleitschirmflieger-stirbt-bei-Landung;art372616,4824222
http://www.badische-zeitung.de/rickenbach/gleitschirmflug-in-den-tod--44044597.html
http://www.girstmair.net/flashnews/pdfs/FlashNews134.pdf

PPG April 8 2011 41M Tournai, BELGIUM
Un coup de vent serait à l’origine de ce dramatique accident.

Apr 2 2011 Bernard Quinquis, 57 of Haute-Savoie Plan de l’Aiguille, Chamonix, FRANCE
Collapse. Highly experienced. "...due to a problem with his wings not opening properly." The paraglider collapsed shortly after takeoff and the pilot fell 100 yards away. Killed on impact.
http://www.chamonet.com/whats_new_article.php?id_whats_new=9275&id_back=1
Il aurait manqué son décollage suite à "une fermeture de voile" et se serait écrasé "une centaine de mètres plus loin", décédant sur le coup.
http://www.europe1.fr/Faits-divers/Haute-Savoie-deces-d-un-parapentiste-483789/

Apr 2 2011 German pilot, 46 from Fulda Lower Franconia Rhön, Kreuzberg, GERMANY
Fell from harness. "...slipped out of the harness and fell out of many meters to the ground." Died at the accident site.
"...aus dem Gurtzeug herausgerutscht" und aus vielen Metern Höhe zu Boden gefallen sein."
http://www.osthessen-news.de/beitrag_A.php?id=1196044
http://www.girstmair.net/flashnews/pdfs/FlashNews134.pdf
20 years experience.
http://www.fuldaerzeitung.de/nachrichten/fulda_und_region/Fulda-Region-Gleitschirmflieger-aus-dem-Kreis-Fulda-toedlich-verunglueckt;art25,398658

Apr 2 2011 Giovanni Zanca, 31 Alto Garda, Gardone Riviera, Toscolano, ITALY
Asymmetric collapse at 30m. Died on impact on the side of Mt. Pizzocolo from "severe chest trauma.". "A gust of wind caught him from behind, closing his canopy in an asymmetric collapse..." Zanca was a computer engineer.
http://www.giornaledibrescia.it/in-provincia/precipita-col-parapendio-tragedia-nell-alto-garda-1.688475
http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/regioni/lombardia/2011/04/02/visualizza_new.html_1527658861.html
"It was an accident that could not be expected," his two friends told the police.
http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2011/aprile/03/Precipita_con_parapendio_Muore_sul_co_7_110403044.shtml
Una raffica «storta» in fase di decollo, la vela che si chiude proprio nel momento più delicato: all'inizio del volo, quando il parapendio non ha ancora preso quota e non c'è modo di manovrare, di rimediare all'improvviso cambio di vento.
"Una turbolenza, una raffica di vento lo ha sorpreso alle spalle - è la sua testimonianza - e la vela si è chiusa in modo asimmetrico facendolo sbandare."
http://www.bresciaoggi.it/stories/Provincia/240747_muore_precipitando_col_parapendio/
http://www.bresciaoggi.it/stories/Cronaca/240941__domani_lultimo_saluto_allicaro_del_garda/

Mar 31 2011 "Jiu Ge" Huang of Tiawan Mangshan Park Peak, Changping Mangshan, CHINA
Collapse in turbulence, transitioning to a nose-down spiral dive at 300 meters. Crashed into hillside after 3 rotations. Paraglider pilots present estimate vertical speed at 20 to 30 mps. Pilot was found unconscious but died in the hospital.
“突然听见有人喊‘快抛附莎，我回头一看，山脊西边的滑翔伞折翼了！遇到这种情况就要抛附桑”但是附伞并没有及时抛出，这架伞马上进入单边螺旋，在空中旋转三圈后急速坠落，当时的高度约为300米。一伞友说，“这种情况会下坠很快，以每秒二三十米的速度撞向地面。也就五秒的时间，人就不见了。”滑翔伞坠落在半山腰的山坡上。
http://www.aihuwai.net/tian/zixun/2011-03-31/6716.html

Mar 22 2011 French pilot, 40M Les Menuires, Savoy, FRANCE
Speedriding. "Probably hit the rocks." Died from multiple injuries.
http://www.ledauphine.com/savoie/2011/03/22/troisieme-accident-mortel-en-speed-riding
http://www.valthonet.com/whats_new_article.php?id_whats_new=9188&id_back=1

Mar 22 2011 Alexander Dordor, 31M Roquebrune Cap-Martin, Maritime Alps, FRANCE
Collapse at 100m. Czech pilot "took place under the eyes of the victim's wife, six months pregnant, while on the beach with the couple's first child."
Quand le pilote est entré dans les turbulences, il était à 100 mètres du sol. Sa voile s'est fermée et il est parti en décrochage
http://www.cannes.maville.com/actu/actudet_-Un-Tcheque-de-31-ans-se-tue-en-parapente_dep-1736997_actu.Htm

PPG Mar 22 2011 Thomas _____, 49M Ścinawa. POLAND
PG Mar 22 2011 59M died of cardiac arrest after landing Gramastetten, AUSTRIA
PPG Mar 13 2011 spiral dive from 100m 39M Birenbach, Göppingen, GERMANY 1 2 3

Mar 10 2011 Eduardo Díez Rabago, 43 of Spain La Plagne, French Alps, FRANCE
Speed-riding. "...found dead yesterday ...after he disappeared on Thursday..."
http://www.diariovasco.com/v/20110312/al-dia-sociedad/encuentran-cadaver-esquiador-espanol-20110312.html
http://www.lavanguardia.es/sucesos/20110311/54125074333/hallado-el-cuerpo-de-un-espanol-desaparecido-en-los-alpes-franceses.html
May have hit the wall of a mountain.
http://www.eldiariomontanes.es/v/20110312/cantabria/reinosano-fallece-alpes-cuando-20110312.html
Fell 400m in a spin.
Selon les secours, l'homme aurait "dévissé au départ d'un couloir et effectué une chute mortelle de 400 mètres".
http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2011/03/11/97001-20110311FILWWW00668-un-espagnol-se-tue-dans-les-alpes.php

Mar 6 2011 Waldman Deustch Solomon, 61 Conchemira, Valara, VENEZUELA
Electrocution. "...made contact with an electricity cable which was electrocuted and subsequently fell."
http://diariodelosandes.com/content/view/147841/105826/

Feb 26 2011 _____, 42 Beenz, GERMANY
Towing accident. ...the screen had lost power and collapsed. ...fell from an altitude of 15 meters.
http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/12025954/1353656/Lychen-Gleitschirm-Flieger-toedlich-verunglueckt.html
Collapse at 10-15m. ...in an attempt to get his glider with the help of a winch device. The paraglider "suddenly collapsed"...
Nach Aussagen von vier Sportkollegen soll der Pilot aus bisher nicht geklärter Ursache aus etwa 10 bis 15 Metern Höhe aufs Feld gestürzt sein. Der Schirm des nach Zeugenaussagen erfahrenen Gleitschirmpiloten sei plötzlich in sich zusammengefallen, so die Sportkollegen, berichtete Polizeikommissar Karsten Jürs.
http://www.nordkurier.de/lokal.php?objekt=nk.lokales.templin&id=787210
http://www.girstmair.net/flashnews/pdfs/FlashNews133.pdf
http://www.berliner-kurier.de/archiv/absturz-mit-gleitschirm-berliner-starb,8259702,8307032.html

PHG February 15 2011 Pilot Jim Gaither, 55 and passenger Kim Buergel, 47 Hanapepe, HI-USA The commercial Big Sky Kauai ultralight was seen plummeting into the ocean off Kauai. Neither the aircraft nor the bodies could be recovered.

Feb 2 2011 Junaidi Hj Jumat Tungku Beach, BRUNEI
Brunei's pioneer paraglider. Brunei's state representative for paragliding. Instructor. On Jan 29, while training a novice, "...a sudden gust of wind had carried Junaidi - when he was still on the ground getting ready to pack his gear - while his harness was still attached to his parachute." He landed face-down. Fractured skull, broken bones. Died Feb 2 after 4 days in a coma.
http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2011020439034/Local-News/bruneis-pioneer-paraglider-passes-away.html http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2011012938539/Fourth-Stories/bruneis-paraglider-in-critical-condition.html

BJ Jan 30 2011 Lucas Oliver AUSTRALIA
HG Jan 26 2011 Andrew Hurst, 29 of UK Mount Beauty, AUSTRALIA
BJ Jan 24 2011 Gary Harbird, 27 of UK Hohen Ultimatum, Lauterbrunnen Valley, SWITZERLAND 1
PPG Jan 22 2011 Mark Scibor, 38 "...fell from 15m." Warsaw, POLAND 1
Gdy był blisko 15 metrów nad ziemią stracił panowanie nad maszyna i runął na ziemię. Pilot został zabrany do szpitala - był nieprzytomny. Po kilku godzinach zmarł.

Jan 6 2011 Austrian pilot from Linz, 31-M Festkogel, Liezen, Styria, AUSTRIA
Speedflying. Crashed "against a rock face," tumbled 100m down cliff. Died immediately.
http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/chronik/steiermark/Paragleiter-kracht-gegen-Felswand-tot/14394771
http://austrianindependent.com/news/General_News/2011-01-07/5866/Paraglider_dies_after_hitting_rocks
http://derstandard.at/1293370149290/Steiermark-Toedlicher-Paragleitunfall-im-Ennstal
http://www.girstmair.net/flashnews/pdfs/FlashNews133.pdf

Jan 3 2011 Pilot from Avoca Beach , 41 Forresters Beach, Central Coast, AUSTRALIA
Spiral dive. "...he spiralled to the ground." Pilot died at the scene. The crash occurred just south of the scene of a 2008 paragliding accident.
http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/paraglider-dies-in-central-coast-accident/2038483.aspx
"Fell about 15m and suffered fatal injuries."
http://express-advocate-wyong.whereilive.com.au/news/story/man-killed-in-paragliding-accident-at-forresters-beach/

PHG Jan 2011 Omar "El Condor" Contreras Chimborozo Volcano, VENEZUELA

SERIOUS PARAGLIDING INJURIES (INCOMPLETE)
Note that pilots who linger and ultimately die from complications are sometimes not included in any statistics or fatality reports. See Dec 4 2007. Readers may notice what seems to be a disproportionate number of accidents from Austria. This is due to the fact that much of the German paragliding activity takes place in Austria and the Austrian enthusiasts provide better records. Of primary concern is that most other countries do not -- and similar frequencies of serious injuries (and most likely, deaths) may actually be occurring in other countries but are not being reported.

Dec 31 2011 "crashed" leg, back injuries Kern Barta, 45M Mono Craters, USA-CA
Dec 30 2011 collapse at low level spinal injuries Robert Bartos (200 hrs)
                    fell onto ocean/rocks Bateau Bay, AUSTRALIA
Dec 28 2011 "fell from a mountain" broken back 36M North West, AUSTRALIA
Dec 22 2011 collapse at 50m pelvis and spinal trauma Edison Tabords, 35 Santa Fe de
                    Antioquia, COLUMBIA
Dec 20 2011 fell 15m hip and abdominal injuries 30M Basilica of Candelaria, Tenerife SPAIN
Dec 8 2011   "plunge" hip, abdominal injuries 31M Pico Pena Redonda, Palencia, SPAIN 1
Dec 2 2011   crash in strong wind back injury heli-rescue Ventura, USA-CA
Nov 27 2011 collapse at 50m, hit mountainside back injuries 18M Tux, Zillertal, AUSTRIA
Nov 25 2011 2nd deployment in month Alain Zoller Air Turquoise, L.Geneva, SWITZERLAND
                   test pilot "hit the water hard in a spiral with twisted risers. ...retrieved floating
                   upside down...." ruptured spleen, broken shoulder, and fractured spine
Nov 19 2011 multiple trauma critical Confital, Las Palmas, Canary Is, SPAIN 1
Nov 19 2011 polycontusions 42F Confital, Las Palmas, Canary Is, SPAIN 1
Nov 19 2011 hit powerlines serious injuries Staircase, Mt Begong, Victoria, AUSTRALIA 1
Nov 18 2011 Norwegian pilot falls on glacier "severely injured" heli-rescue Billing, INDIA
Nov 17 2011 broke both ankles in "fall" Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands, SPAIN
Nov 16 2011 crashed on glacier at 3200m serious injuries 55M Sommerbergalm, AUSTRIA 1
Nov 12 2011 collapse at 5m onto concrete 51M Burgspitz, Weyer, Steyr-Land, AUSTRIA 1
Nov 7 2011 collapse injuries heli-rescue 49M Montagnachmittat, Kirchschlag, AUSTRIA 1
Nov 1 2011 crashed at landing severe spinal injury difficult rescue 53M Siersdorf, GERMANY
Nov 1 2011 "stalled" at takeoff leg fracture heli-rescue 42F Andelsbuch, GERMANY 1
Nov 1 2011 crashed at landing severe spinal injury - critical 60M San Vito Lo Capo, ITALY
Oct 30 2011 set off mine in "cleared" area both legs amputated Sarajevo, BOSNIA 1 2 3 4 5
                   (Note: This military-related incident does not qualify here as a PG accident.)
Oct 30 2011 fast spiral into ground severe back injury 20M Gosau, AUSTRIA 1 2
Oct 29 2011 collapse at 20m leg, back injuries 57M Treh Markstein, Oderen, FRANCE
Oct 28 2011 collapse "shortly after takeoff" sacrum injury 18M Schlenken, AUSTRIA
Oct 26 2011 asymmetric collapse into spiral dive spinal injury 34M South Waikato NZ
                   "The accident did not deter the man's fellow thrill seekers who continued to
                    paraglide the rest of the way down the hill."
Oct 22 2011 "landed heavily" back injuries Mam Tor, UK
Oct 22 2011 "lost control" "fell heavily" multiple injuries F La Muela, SPAIN
Oct 22 2011 "crashed" back injuries, fractured vertebrae foreign pilot La Fontanilla, SPAIN
Oct 20 2011 landing on beach moderate trauma to the back 45 La Palma. SPAIN
Oct 17 2011 collapse in turbulence minor injuries heli-rescue 18M Adnet Tennengau AUSTRIA
Oct 15 2011 fell from 15m Belgian pilot Canazei, ITALY
Oct 11 2011 fell 20m "lost control" Russian 36F injuries to back, leg Alpago, Belluno, ITALY
Oct 11 2011 3-year-old F struck at landing skull fracture Sanako Komatsu 38 Nagano, JAPAN
Oct 10 2011 pilot-induced spin at 30' neck injury Crestline, San Bernardino, USA-CA
Oct 9 2011   fell from 30m broken neck Mt. Samhyeonri, Kangwon, Hongcheon, KOREA
Oct 6 2011   "crashed" head, limb fractures Giangiacomo Pesante, 50 Marselle FRANCE
Oct 4 2011   collapse neck, back injuries 20sM Marlborough Downs, Alton Barnes, UK
                   "The wind suddenly stopped the paraglider plummeted to the ground."
Oct 3 2011   hit car at landing back injury 23F Wasserauen, LIECHTENSTEIN
Oct 2 2011   collapse into spiral dive tandem pilot femur, forearm García, MEXICO
                   Juan Bautista Ortega of Tampico, instructor
Oct 2 2011   collapse into spiral dive tandem passenger femur, forearm García, MEXICO
                   Ana Cristina Kuiz Rosén, 24 of Sweden

911 Caller: "My Foot is Barely Hanging On"

Sep 30 2011  collapse into spiral dive at 100m heli-rescue German 46M Tannheim AUSTRIA 1
                     severe injuries to chest, spine, pelvis and abdomen. Crashed at "full speed".
                     Sein Schirm war nach Angaben der Polizei vermutlich wegen Luftturbulenzen zum
                            Teil eingeklappt und ins Trudeln geraten.
Sep 30 2011   spiral dive Mt Blanc, FRANCE
                     "Witnesses watched his takeoff through binoculars but were then horrified to see
                     him spiral out of control and crash land into the North face of the glacier.
                     ...Rescue services thought they were recovering a dead body, until they heard a
                     moan from beneath the snow. The man was still alive, but extremely
                     hypothermic with a body temperature of just 26°C."
Sep 30 2011   speedflyer multiple compound fractures 31M Malans Pk, Ogden, USA-UT 1 2
Sep 28 2011   "in critical condition after falling" respiratory arrest Gran Canaria, SPAIN
Sep 28 3011   "injured... after falling" C.F.F. 39M Santiago del Collado, Avila, SPAIN
Sep 26 2011   collapse at 15m severe back injuries Czech pilot 31M Neukirchen AUSTRIA 1
Sep 25 2011   "crashed on landing" spinal fracture 47F St.Radegund, AUSTRIA 1
Sep 25 2011   "abnormal termination of the wing" at 50m chest back 46M Valcava, ITALY
Sep 24 2011   fell onto rocks launch "several broken limbs" heli-rescue 50M Segovia SPAIN 1
Sep 22 2011   fell from 10m Brett Birkett Dolphin Heads, Gold Coast, AUSTRALIA 1
                     heli-rescue "multiple fractures to his arms and legs"
                     "...spun backwards as he's taken off." compound leg fracture, spinal injuries
                     founder and managing director of Interlex Solutions and WharEyeDo.com
Sep 22 2011   stall (?) fell 75m lower leg fracture heli-rescue 58M Andelsbuch, AUSTRIA
Sep 21 2011   fell on road, hit by truck broken ribs Lucas Nishimoto 30M Itabirito, BRAZIL 1
Sep 21 2011   collapse "crashed almost vertically" German 48M Stalpers, Sillian, AUSTRIA 1
                          "Ein Zeuge bemerkte, wie kurz nach dem Start der Schirm links und rechts
                            einklappte und in der Folge der Deutsche fast senkrecht abstürzte."
Sep 20 2011   collapse at 10m 45M Nedremannuyu Izveschatelny, RUSSIA
                     "severely damaged the pelvic bones"
                     Сильные порывы ветра сложили параплан
                     и мужчина упал на землю, примерно с десятиметровой высоты.
Sep 19 2011   back injury Olvera, SPAIN
Sep 17 2011   asymmetric collapse launch hips legs heli-rescue 55M Ruhpolding, GERMANY
Sep 16 2011   "crash landing" compound fracture of arm Piedrahita, Avila, SPAIN
Sep 13 2011   towing fell from 7m chest, legs, head, spinal injuries M Dezmir, ROMANIA 1
Sep 11 2011   collapse at 20m "fell ...unabated." spinal fracture 22M Hinterstoder, AUSTRIA
                            "...der junge Mann stürzte aus 20 Metern nahezu ungebremst zu Boden."
Sep 11 2011 collapse at 5m 24F Gerlitze, Annenheim, AUSTRIA 1
                     "Böiger Wind hatte das Sportgerät einklappen lassen."
Sep 4 2011    "crashed on rocks" serious injuries 33M Agrinio, GREECE
Aug 31 2011 collapse fell from 8m back injury M loma de del Rosa, Greneda, SPAIN
Aug 29 2011 spiral dive serious injuries heli-rescue Slovak Nussdorf-Debant, AUSTRIA
Aug 28 2011 collapse in thermal at 20m serious injuries heli-rescue 26M Matrei, AUSTRIA 1
Aug 28 2011 "deep spirals" spine injury 31M Planaibahnnen, Schladming, AUSTRIA
Aug 27 2011 landing concussion back paralysis S.G.F. 38M Providence, SPAIN VIDEO
Aug 25 2011 critical condition heli-rescue 40M Gardone Riviera, San Michele, ITALY 1
Aug 25 2011 "started to spin" fell 5m heli-rescue Swiss 37M Bischlinghöhe, GERMANY
Aug 23 2011 spinal trauma 52M Offenbach-Hundheim, Glanbrücken, GERMANY
Aug 21 2011 "lost control" wounded heli-rescue German 46M Perugia, Castelluccio, ITALY
Aug 21 2011 "tail-spin" severe leg injuries Burgeralm, Bruck, Mur, Upper Styria, AUSTRIA 1
Aug 20 2011 collapse at 10m seriously injured 25M Annenheim, AUSTRIA
Aug 20 2011 60-percent collapse lower back injury Crestline, San Bernardino, USA-CA
Aug 19 2011 serious injuries hit a house, crashed Pilisborosjenőn, HUNGARY
Aug 18 2011 collapse tandem pilot 24M (passenger died) Neukirchen, Pinzgau, AUSTRIA
Aug 17 2011 collapse at 20m arm, spinal injuries Austrian, 28M Kobariski Stol, SLOVENIA
Aug 17 2011 collapse at 9-12m pelvis Meadow Creek, BC, CANADA
Aug 16 2011 collapse at 8m multiple back injuries 50M Schnifis, AUSTRIA 1
                          Dort klappte der Gleitschirm plötzlich zusammen und der Mann stürzte auf den
                          darunterliegenden Grashang.
Aug 16 2011 "fell" at landing competition pilot Emberger Alm, Greifenburg, AUSTRIA
                    Junior Challenge 2011
Aug 16 2011 collapse at 20m into cliff multiple fractures heli-rescue 36M Lleida, SPAIN 1 2
                           Por causas que aún se desconocen, al accidentado se le ha plegado el parapente y
                           ha chocado contra una pared de roca, cayendo finalmente al suelo desde unos veinte
                           metros de altura en una zona de difícil acceso próxima a Rocalta.
Aug 14 2011 collapse aerobatics multiple trauma experienced pilot, 43F St.Gilgen AUSTRIA 1
Aug 14 2011 collapse chest, side Austrian Walter Heistinger 31M Mt Valinis, Meduno ITALY
Aug 14 2011 serious injuries Debrecen, HUNGARY
Aug 13 2011 serious injuries F Hochkar, AUSTRIA
Aug 13 2011 "turned and crashed" broken leg tandem pilot 59M Ibukiyama, Shinga, JAPAN
Aug 13 2011 Stewart Midwinter Mt Lady MacDonald, Canmore, Alberta, CANADA 1
                    "crashed" on mountain back injuries
Aug 12 2011 collapse "parachute turned inside out" serious condition 40F Fethiye, TURKEY
Aug 12 2011 collapse at 100m+ traumatic injuries Torrey Pines, San Diego, CA-USA VIDEO
Aug 8 2011   collapse at 300m spinal cord, fractured skull Indian 35M Sopot, BULGARIA 1
                    competitor in Czech Paragliding Championship
Aug 8 2011   spiral dive serious injuries Slovak pilot Nussdorf-Debant, AUSTRIA
Aug 7 2011   spin, collapse 4 broken ribs Olga Bryakotnina of Russia Sopot, BULGARIA
                    threw reserve too low to open competitor in Czech Paragliding Championship
                    pilot was flying a 2-line Open Class paraglider.
Aug 7 2011 "crashed from 10m" seriously injured 21M Westendorf, Kitzbühel, AUSTRIA
Aug 3 2011  "lost control" fell from 4m severe back injuries 46M Schafkogel, AUSTRIA
Aug 2 2011   asymmetric collapse at 50m serious injuries 30F Louny, CZECH REPUBLIC
Aug 2 2011   fell from 12m seriously injured 64M Goleta, Santa Barbara, CA-USA
Jul 31 2011 collapse at 30m fractures breathing problems Colmenar de Oreja, Madrid SPAIN
Jul 30 2011   collapse serious fractures to legs 50sM Newhaven, East Sussex, UK
                    "went straight down" "agonising injuries" "preparing for extensive surgery"
Jul 30 2011 frontal collapse at 10m spinal injury, paralysis 26M Krfermarkt, AUSTRIA 1
                   Kurz nach dem Start ließ eine Windböe den Schirm nach vorne wegklappen.
                         Seine Verletzungen waren so gravierend, dass er seine Beine nicht bewegen konnte.
Jul 28 2011 crashed "into a rock face" shoulder back injury 44M Clee Hill, Shropshire, UK 1
Jul 25 2011 collapse broken rib X-Alps Argentine competitor 37M Venosta, AUSTRIA
Jul 24 2011 "crashed" fractured leg heli-rescue Tasmanian, 62M Gold Coast, AUSTRALIA

PPG Jul 23 2011 midair 1 serious injury Bob Graham Beach, Palm Beach FL-USA 1 2
Midair between 2 PPGs. "The Federal Aviation Administration doesn't regulate paragliders — basically a large parachute — because they aren't classified as aircraft."

Jul 21 2011 "failed landing" "heavily injured" Russian 54M Ljubanista, St Naum MACEDONIA
Jul 21 2011 "lost control" at 15m, "crashed" critically injured German 59 Mölltal, AUSTRIA
Jul 20 2011   back, numb limbs, surgery Albena, BULGARIA
Jul 20 2011 "injured and could not move" French pilot 50 La Lastra, Avila, SPAIN 1
Jul 17 2011   life-threatening head and facial injuries Mr. Omo, 43 Ulsan, KOREA
Jul 15 2011 spiral dive back: two broken vertebrae 44M Sopot, BULGARIA
Jul 13 2011 pulled off launch by gust broken ribs William Briskey, 54 Coffin Butte OR-USA
Jul 10 2011 collapse at 10m 39F heli rescue Peña Negra, Piedrahita, Avila, SPAIN 1
Jul 9 2011    collapse into spiral dive at 50m "severe trauma to head" Try Clare, 32F Sounion,
                   Vicenza, ITALY 1
                  "...suddenly encountered turbulence that has caused the sail to become asymmetric.
                 At that point, the glider began to spin out of control and came down quickly,
                 without giving her time to open the emergency parachute."
                 Una turbolenza, la chiusura parziale della vela del parapendio e la caduta per una
                       cinquantina di metri, fino ad impattare al suolo.
Jul 7 2011 collapse multiple fractures A.D.L., 55M of France competing in Paragliding
                 World Championships in Piedrahita, SPAIN 1
Jul 7 2011 collapse at 600m, reserve deployed at 200m, landed in tree, injured trying to
                 climb down internal injuries Czech pilot, 49M Krippenstein, AUSTRIA 1
Jul 5 2011 collapse at 20m severe spinal, abdominal 58M of TX-USA Gerlitzen, AUSTRIA
                 Unmittelbar nach dem Start dürfte der Gleitschirm aufgrund eines Pilotenfehlers ins
                       Trudeln gekommen sein. Der Urlauber aus den Vereinigten Staaten stürzte daraufhin
                       aus etwa 20 Meter Höhe mit offenem Schirm in ein Waldstück.
Jul 4 2011  shattered pelvis "a long and difficult surgery" Portugese pilot Belluno, ITALY

Parasailing Jul 3 2011 mother 52, daughter 19 tandem severely injured Arenal, Mallorca, SPAIN

Jul 3 2011    collapse "injured today after suffering a fall" 41M Pedro Bernardo, Avila, SPAIN
Jul 2 2011    collapse at 20m back injury Austrian pilot, 31M Hochgern, GERMANY 1
                   "...a gust of wind caught him and collapsed the sail."
                   Kurz nach dem Start erwischte ihn eine Windböe und brachte den Schirm zum
                         "Einklappen“.
Jul 2 2011   53F Fethiye, TURKEY
Jul 2 2011   "lost control" broken leg Anja Lambrecht of Germany 37F Mut, TURKEY VIDEO
Jun 29 2011 collapse in turbulence at altitude reserve deployed minor injuries German pilot
                  "Sein Gleitschirm klappte zusammen..." Flattach, Spittal/Drau, AUSTRIA
Jun 29 2011 collapse at 5m neck fracture 85M Oberstdorf, Allgäu, GERMANY
                   "...the sail... was folded by a gust of wind."

PPG Jun 28 2011 severed 4 fingers, ribs, compound fracture forearm 78M FRANCE

Jun 28 2011 collapse at 20m multiple injuries tandem pilot Marcelly Mieussy, FRANCE
Jun 28 2011 collapse at 20m multiple injuries tandem passenger Marcelly Mieussy, FRANCE
Jun 26 2011 tandem pilot and passenger Wandalm, Abtenau, AUSTRIA
                    "...woman stumbled" on launch, "both fell against a rock and injured themselves."
Jun 26 2011 leg: tibula and fibula 42M Itacima, Guaiúba, Ceara, SPAIN
Jun 25 2011 hit a tree leg JRG, 44 Pedro Bernardo, Avila, SPAIN 1 2
Jun 25 2011 collapse at landing seriously injured near Castle Altpernstein, AUSTRIA
Jun 24 2011 climbing down tree leg, pelvis 50sM Church Stretton, South Shropshire, UK 1
                    “It is believed the man had landed some way up in the tree and whilst he was
                    attempting to climb down he fell approximately 20 feet to the ground."
Jun 24 2011  collapse at 12m back injury 40M Plouarzel, FRANCE
Jun 23 2011   critical injuries Arsuf, ISRAEL
Jun 22 2011 tow accident vertebral injury, both legs broken Joel Mendez, 41 Miami USA-FL
Jun 20 2011 collapse severe back injuries Alex Hofer, 34 SWITZERLAND 1 2 3 4
                    Red Bull X-Alps competition "...a fierce frontal collapse. Hofer was at low
                    altitude and immediately pulled the emergency parachute, but crashed very heavily
                    on his back - so hard that he broke vertebrae." "Alex is the most successful
                    athlete of the X-Alps, winning the race as a rookie in 2005, won again in 2007
                    and finished second in 2009."
Jun 21 2011 "spectacular crash" difficult rescue 21M Peña Rubia, SPAIN 1
                    severe back pain, 20 fractures throughout the body, broken arm
Jun 20 2011 collapse broken back Pierluca Vittorione, 33M Monopoli, ITALY
                    possible lower body paralysis
                    UPDATE: Jun.21 neurosurgery, condition remains serious

PPG Jun 19 2011 collapse coma Javier Carrasco, 34 Piedrahita de Muñó, SPAIN 1 2
Paramotor Championship of Spain "The wing folded" from "prevailing
wind turbulence" and the Portugese pilot fell 80 meters" into a wooded
area." Rated among the most skilled paramotor pilots in Europe.

Jun 19 2011 serious injuries "lost control of his parachute" 34M Valdidentro, Sondrio, ITALY
Jun 19 2011 spiral dive broken legs, multiple injuries 59M Hourtibn, FRANCE
Jun 18 2011 severe leg injury at landing 43M Sillian, AUSTRIA
Jun 18 2011 broken bones, critical, unconscious Muzaffer Kılıç, Z. Kálymnos, TURKEY
                    spiral dive "The paraglider suddenly began to spin around. Then it crashed into
                    the ground from a height of 40-50 meters."
Jun 14 2011 serious condition speedriding 30sM difficult heli rescue Makapu'u. HI-USA
Jun 13 2011   hit tree, fell 20m back injury heli-rescue 25M St. Conrad, Gmunden, AUSTRIA
Jun 13 2011 "a fairly substantial impact" back injury 27M Sunset Park, Boise, ID-USA 1
Jun 12 2011 hit a tree "injured and knocked unconscious" 50sM Tiger Mt, WA-USA
Jun 12 2011 broken back, wrist heli rescue Blossom Valley, Lakeside, CA-USA VIDEO
                    UPDATE: "...he was simply flying to close to the ground when he caught a nasty
                    pocket of air. 'Just shot me down like a cannon. It happened so fast, I had no
                    chance to even attempt to make any corrections. I just smashed into the ground.'"
Jun 12 2011 hit a tree severe back injuries training 25M Vöcklabruck, AUSTRIA 1 2 3
Jun 11 2011 collapse at 250 ft 59M condition not released Mesa County, CO-USA
Jun 7 2011    back and pelvis "fell" heli rescue 36M Vaches Noires, Calvados, FRANCE 1
Jun 7 2011    (midair?) "hit a cliff" tandem pilot heli rescue Gros Cap, Palamos, SPAIN
Jun 7 2011    (midair?) "hit a cliff" tandem passenger heli rescue Gros Cap, Palamos, SPAIN
Jun 6 2011    collision with powerline spine: dorsal trauma 44M Plan de l'Aiguille, FRANCE
Jun 5 2011    collapse at 7m multiple fractures Grisons, Domat Ems, SWITZERLAND 1
Jun 4 2011    spiral dive from 300m German pilot 26M Werfenweng, Pongau, AUSTRIA
Jun 4 2011    German pilot 38M Neustift, Stubaital, AUSTRIA
Jun 3 2011    flying in "heavy rain," fell on house at 6m Russian 35 Embergeralm, AUSTRIA
Jun 3 2011    collapse at 10m concussion, thoracic, lumbar spine F Bunloc, ROMANIA
Jun 3 2011    collapse at 5m competition target landing Pole 47F Kossen, AUSTRIA 1
                    Flew into an "air pocket and crashed." 2011 Super Paragliding Festival
Jun 3 2011    collapse at 5m heavy injuries German 36M Kossen, AUSTRIA 1 2
                    competition hit mountain under reserve 2011 Super Paragliding Festival
Jun 3 2011    back Mt Aganaga, Haria, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, SPAIN
Jun 3 2011   spin at 70 ft 2 fractured vertebrae Crestline, San Bernardino, USA-CA
Jun 3 2011    collapse severe injuries to arm 55M Blease Fell, Blencathra, UK
                     "...his chute collapsed during a bad landing..."
Jun 2 2011     collapse at 25m spinal injury hit building tandem pilot Neusttift, AUSTRIA 1
Jun 2 2011     collapse at 25m severe leg injuries tandem passenger   Neusttift, AUSTRIA 1
May 31 2011 collapse at 10m in heli turbulence spinal cord A.K., 35M Konyaalti, TURKEY
May 30 2011 spiral dive from 15m serious spinal injuries Mt Leinster, Black Banks, IRELAND
May 30 2011 back and arm injuries M Pendle Hill, Lancashire, UK 1 2
                     "The second crash on Pendle Hill in a month."
May 30 2011 collapse into spiral dive at 300m severe injuries 26M Pongau, Zaglau, AUSTRIA
                    Reserve parachute was thrown but became entangled in the sail.
                           "Laut Zeugenberichten war der Schirm in etwa 300 Metern Höhe plötzlich in
                           Schwierigkeiten gekommen. Der Pilot konnte den Paragleiter nicht mehr unter
                           Kontrolle bringen. Er zog seinen Rettungsschirm, doch dieser verfing sich im
                           Gleitschirm. Der 26-Jährige schlug schließlich hart auf einem Wiesenhang auf und
                           verletzte sich dabei schwerst."
May 30 2011 serious injuries 22M Frontera, El Hierro, Meridian, Canary Islands, SPAIN
                            "...de que un parapentista se había precipitado mientras iniciaba el despegue..."
May 29 2011 lost control, reserve entangled severe injuries to head, pelvis heli-rescue
                     Austrian aerobatics pilot 26 Pischlingberg, Werfenweng, AUSTRIA
May 29 2011 collapse 30M heli rescue 6 hours of surgery Mt Roberts, Juneau, AK-USA
                     "...lost lift and fell approximately 50 feet to the ground." “Reports were that half
                     of his paraglider collapsed...”
May 29 2011 back, legs heli rescue 49M Taucho, Adeje, Tenerife, Canary Islands, SPAIN
May 29 2011 collapse head, pelvis 25M Werfenweng, Salzburg, AUSTRIA
May 29 2011 collapse at 20m 34M heli rescue Mount Alva Aratz, Ertzaintza, SPAIN VIDEO
May 26 2011 crashed so badly he broke 11 ribs heli-rescue German 49 Zell am See AUSTRIA
May 26 2011 broken legs 50M Monfestino Serramazzoni, ITALY
May 26 2011 tandem passenger spinal injuries 32F Lake Balaton, HUNGARY
May 25 2011 collapse at 4-5m hip, femur 48M Biscoi, SPAIN 1
                           "The sail fabric folded, causing him to stop flying and abruptly hurtling him to
                     the ground." "En un momento dado, explicaron fuentes de los bomberos, hizo una
                            arrancada, pero se le plegó la tela, lo que le provocó que dejara de volar,
                            precipitándose abruptamente contra el suelo, justo cuando acababa de arrancar."
May 24 2011 collapse at 10m seriously injured 35M Buching, GERMANY
                     "Witnesses reported that the paraglider was hit by a gust of wind, whereby
                             the left side of the sail collapsed." "Zeugenangaben zufolge wurde der Schirm von
                            einer Windböe erfasst, wodurch die linke Seite des Schirms einklappte."
May 23 2011 collapse critical condition 50M St. Columban Certenoli, Tigullio, ITALY
                            Police speculate that the pilot may have flown into a "vacuum."
                            "Non è chiaro se all'origine dell'incidente ci sia stato un vuoto d'aria o una errata
                            manovra dello stesso cinquantenne..."
May 22 2011 midair fractured spine 29M heli rescue Rimetea, ROMANIA 1 2
May 22 2011 midair fractured spine, forearm 28M heli rescue Rimetea, ROMANIA 1 2
May 22 2011 collapse severe abdominal trauma 44M Les Plans Olesa, Montserrat, SPAIN 1
                     "He fell for reasons unknown." "...cayó por causas que se desconocen."
May 22 2011 collapse serious head injury "fell at high speed" 50M S.Columb Certenoli ITALY
                     "...il controllo del mezzo durante il decollo precipitando ad alta velocità..."
May 22 2011 joint fractures landing 44M Wasserkuppe, Poppenhausen, GERMANY
May 20 2011 collapse back injury Austrian 51M Marsh Lake, Yukon, CANADA
                     "He hit a very unexpected severe turbulence and the front of his wing deflated
                     and stopped flying,"
May 13 2011 hit fence compound fracture of leg Swiss pilot, 40M Markstein, FRANCE
May 11 2011 collapse at 7-10m unspecified injuries German pilot, 34M Sillian, AUSTRIA
May 8 2011   launch tandem pilot leg passenger polytrauma Saint-Omer, SWITZERLAND
May 6 2011   spinal injuries Pian Munè, ITALY 1
May 6 2011   hit tree, fell 5m serious injuries Austrian 30 Kumberg, AUSTRIA
May 6 2011   spine, hip, rib pilot from Sweden, 55M Alfacar, Grenada, SPAIN 1
May 5 2011   collapse at 5m legs, hips 47M Gurenberg, Wirmighausen, GERMANY
                           "Dort stürzte er aus etwa fünf Metern Höhe auf eine Wiese."
May 1 2011   back injury 50M Lakeside Park, Chelan, OR-USA
Apr 26 2011 hit a tree at 10m spinal trauma 41M Rimetea, ROMANIA VIDEO
                    "parapantistul s-a prăbuşit"
Apr 25 2011 collapse at 4m serious back injuries tandem passenger 29F Schnifis, AUSTRIA
Apr 25 2011 hit trailer on landing spine: possible paralysis Borso del Grappa,Treviso, ITALY
Apr 25 2011 hit tree, fell 8m severe injuries Austrian 60 Schnifis, AUSTRIA
Apr 24 2011 collapse in turbulence back injuries 31M Bad Ragaz, SWITZERLAND
Apr 24 2011 hit trees severe injuries to the back 60M Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, AUSTRIA

Apr 23 2011 spiral dive internal injuries 22F Fethiye. Oludeniz, TURKEY 1
Apr 23 2011 "crashed" spinal injuries Slovak 41 Embergeralm Greifenberg AUSTRIA
Apr 23 2011 collapse at 20-30m injuries Austrian 43 Bodensdorf, AUSTRIA
Apr 23 2011 collapse at 15m injuries heli-rescue German 24 Sportgastein, Pongau, AUSTRIA
Apr 23 2011 crushed vertebrae broken ribs foot Bourgas, BULGARIA
Apr 22 2011 collapse seriously injured 25F Kalocsa, HUNGARY
Apr 20 2011 fell at landing severely injured German 48 Embergeralm Greifenberg AUSTRIA
Apr 19 2011 collapse at 15m injured heli-rescue Manfred A.St. Radegund, Schockl, AUSTRIA
Apr 17 2011 spiral dive severe spine injury German 24M Krahbergzinken, AUSTRIA 1
                   ...geriet beim Landeanflug mit seinem Schirm ins Trudeln und stürzte zu Boden.
Apr 17 2011 collapse at 6m severe spinal injuries German 47 Embergeralm, AUSTRIA
Apr 17 2011 collapse at 8m broken pelvis Cedric Jandali, 25 Mouleret, Polastron, FRANCE
Apr 13 2011 hit power lines, fell multiple injuries, poor prognosis 48M Menorca, SPAIN
                    "There are hardly any accidents. As I recall, this may have happened once
                    every four years. It is unusual, "said Joan Portella. Portella is president of
                    paragliding Club."
                          “Apenas hay accidentes. Que yo recuerde, aquí puede haber pasado uno cada cuatro
                           años. No es habitual”, explica Joan Portella. Portella es el presidente del Club
                           Parepente. 1
Apr 9 2011   speedriding back hit and fell 10m Pendle Hill, Ribble Valley, Lancashire, UK
Apr 9 2011 collapse at 10m spine Lithuanian Lijak, New York, SLOVENIA
Apr 8 2011   collapse severe injuries Austrian tandem pilot 40 Schokl, Graz, AUSTRIA
Apr 8 2011   lifted unexpectedly at launch, collapse at 5m spine Austrian 49 Schnifis AUSTRIA
Apr 6 2011   collapse at 4m abdominal injuries 56F Mount Valinis, Meduno, ITALY
Apr 5 2011   fell 5-10m fractures, internal injuries instructor Altes Lager, GERMANY
Apr 4 2011   broken leg "lost control" Czech pilot Borsa del Grappa, Treviso, ITALY
Apr 4 2011   asymmetric collapse lumbar spine, pelvis 57M Schriesheim, GERMANY
                   "...als der Schirm unbemerkt von ihm auf der linken Seite absackte und den
                         Gleitschirmflieger über den Boden gegen die Startrampe zog."
Apr 3 2011   spiral dive serious injuries German pilot 53M heli rescue Vorarlberg, AUSTRIA 1
                   "...und geriet schon nach wenigen Minuten ins Trudeln."
Apr 3 2011   tow rope snapped severe back injuries 25M Zurich, SWITZERLAND
Apr 3 2011   collapse multiple fractures Monte Linzone, Roncola, ITALY
Apr 2 2011   fell in turbulence heavy injuries Austrian 42 Au, Rettenberg, AUSTRIA
Apr 2 2011   severe back injuries 19M Calanda, Felsberg, SWITZERLAND 1 2
                   Transferred from district hospital to the Graubunden Paraplegic Centre.
Mar 31 2011 back, internal injuries "...heard a 'thud.'" Maori Bay, NEW ZEALAND
Mar 30 2011 hit livestock trailers at landing serious injury 28 Innsbruck, AUSTRIA
Mar 29 2011 collapse at 200m compound fracture of arm 27M Krispi/GaiBau, AUSTRIA 1
                          Der Paragleiter war auf 1200 Metern Seehöhe in thermische Turbulenzen geraten,
                          woraufhin der Gleitschirm 200 Meter über dem Boden zusammenklappte.
Mar 27 2011 50M "paraglider had fallen in an inaccessible area" La Azohía, SPAIN
Mar 26 2011 broken arm and leg David Cassar, 25 Dingli Cliffs, MALTA 1
Mar 25 2011 "crashed" serious injuries Austrian pilot 71 Oberkurzheim, AUSTRIA
Mar 23 2011 collapse seriously injured tandem passenger Hochgern, GERMANY 1
                    "Trotz guter äußerer Bedingungen sackte der Schirm in der Startphase durch
                           und das Ehepaar prallte an das Dach einer Almhütte."
Mar 21 2011 Enerst Blanc Placivel, VENEZUELA
                    fell from harness severe injuries remains in a coma thru Mar 30
Mar 21 2011 "hit the ground" paralyzed from chest down Daniel Velasco Maui, USA-HI
Mar 20 2011 collapse head, back - heli rescue 54 Otivar, Granada, SPAIN 1
Mar 18 2011 very seriously injured American "fell 400m" heli rescue Galilee, ISRAEL
Mar 15 2011 head - heli rescue S.G.P., 39 Calvarrasa Arriba, Salamanca, SPAIN
Mar 13 2011 collapse broken ankle 46M Vipava Gradiska, SLOVENIA
                            ...46-letnemu jadralnemu padalcu je zračna turbulenca zaprla padalo...
Mar 11 2011 collapse at landing spine, vertebrae German 45M Andelsbuch, AUSTRIA 1
                    Beim Landeanflug sackte der Schirm jedoch zusammen und es kam zum Absturz.
Mar 9 2011 back Robert Eakle, 54 Dominguez Canyon, Delta County, CO-USA
                   "Delta County Sheriff’s Department Officials say they don’t know what caused
                   the accident, but the man was landing when he crashed."

Mar 6 2011   collapse at 17m leg fractures, possible back injury Phoenix, AZ-USA 1
                    Witnesses "saw one of the wings fold." "...the man looked as if he had a wing
                    collapse, and he was flying too low to the ground to recover."
Mar 5 2011   pelvis, arm Zero Branco, 36 Pedemontana del Grappa, ITALY
Mar 4 2011   midair at 15m both pilots injured 34 and 36 heli-rescue Neustift, AUSTRIA
Mar 4 2011   speed-rider seriously injured Frederick C., 35 Chatel, FRANCE 1
Feb 26 2011 serious injuries Chicheri via Bellinzona, ITALY
Feb 19 2011 "crashed" at landing spinal injuries Austrian 24 Schnifis, AUSTRIA
Feb 13 2011 hit tree trunk heavy injuries Austrian 22 Rauris, AUSTRIA
Feb 11 2011 serious injuries Sant Pere de Rodes, Palau Saverdera, SPAIN
Feb 5 2011    collapse at 10m serious injuries Austrian 19 Kals, Grossglockner, AUSTRIA
Feb 1 2011    speedflyer hit rock leg injuries Austrian 35 Gmunden, AUSTRIA
Feb 1 2011    back fell from 5m Gustavo Polsadela, 56 Florianopolis, ARGENTINA 1 2
Jan 39 2011 hit left cables, fell 25m injuries
Jan 28 2011 multiple leg fractures, facial injuries Manuel Carrera, 52 Maitland, CHILE
Jan 18 2011 hard landing serious injuries Austrian 27 St. Radegund, Graz, AUSTRIA
Jan 7 2011 collapse back injuries "fell about 400 meters" Port Hills, Christchurch, NZ
Jan 6 2011 serious chest injuries, internal bleeding Stanage Edge, Yorkshire, UK

2012
6

2011
82

2010
95

2009
112

2008
123

2007
88

2006
91

2005
67

2004
68

2003
96

2002
53

MEDICAL STUDIES OF PARAGLIDING INJURIES (INCOMPLETE)

The struggle continues for Jeff Huey

The PDMC and the Myth of Training and Experience

The common theme of pilot error -- placing the blame on the pilot -- runs throughout the history of research papers on paragliding injuries. Perhaps unimaginable to these medical researchers, many of whom are general aviation pilots well acquainted with the rigorous regulation and safety mandates for conventional aircraft, is the thought that the paraglider itself is deficient and claims beginner and expert alike. The concept of an inescapable Dead Man's Curve for paragliders and the major role it plays in nearly all accidents is never even considered. Nor is it understood that pilot training, the most significant safety factor in all of aviation, in paragliding suddenly hits the brick wall of PDMC cumulative risk and can improve no further.

"Most of the accidents were related to a mistake of the pilot. None is due to a failure of the material," claim Reymond, de Gottrau, Fournier, Arnold, Jacomet and Rigo in 1988.
"With over 90% of accidents occurring at either take off or landing, emphasis on better training for the beginner is proposed...," suggest Ballmer and Jakob in 1989.
"Improved knowledge of instructors and pilot training and common sense, could prevent most accidents," conclude Zeller, Billing and Praise in 1992.
"The first flights have been murderous, a thesis written in 1987 in Grenoble showing seven dead out of 97 casualties. Since then the statistics [are] seen to be improving as a consequence of the setting of regulations and the establishment of "paragliding" schools. ...Preventive measures consist in a greater prudence, a good physical condition and a precise aerological knowledge," state Foray, Abrassart, Femmy and Aldilli in 1991.
Reporting an incredible 33.9% spinal injury rate in paragliding incidents in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 1991, Krüger-Franke and Pförringer conclude that "Proper equipment especially sturdy shoes, exact training in landing techniques and especially improved instruction in procedures during aborted or crash landings of the individual paraglider is required to reduce the frequency of these injuries."
"Most accidents were due to an in-flight error of judgment, such as incorrect estimation of wind conditions and a choice of unfavourable landing sites. ...To reduce the frequency of paragliding injuries, an accurate choice of equipment and increased attention to environmental factors is mandatory. Furthermore education-programs should focus more on intensifying the pilot's mental and practical skills," conclude Lautenschlager, Karli and Matter in 1993.
"Insufficient training and failure to take account of geographical and meteorological conditions are the main determinants of accidents sustained by paragliders, most of whom are young. Nevertheless, 80% of our patients want to continue paragliding," observe Krauss and Mischkowsky in 1993.
"Routine and experience did not affect the prevalence of accident. Analysis of the causes of accident revealed pilot errors in all but three cases," claim Fasching, Schippinger and Pretscher in 1997.
"Main causes of accidents were either pilot error in handling the paraglider or general lack of awareness about potential risk factors," conclude Schulze, Hesse, Blatter, Schmidtler and Muhr in 2000.
Although in 2002, W. Schulze, Richter, B. Schulze, Esenwein and Büttner-Janz astutely observe that "The most common cause of accident was deflation of the glider (32.5%)...," they conclude that "Injuries in paragliding caused by unpredictable situations can be minimised by (a) using safer gliders in the beginner or intermediate category, (b) improving protection systems, such as padded back protection, and (c) improving pilot skills through performance and safety training."
"Better education, training, and the introduction of innovative back protectors are required to reduce the frequency and severity of paragliding injuries," state Exadaktylos, Sclabas, Eggli, Schönfeld, Gygax and Zimmermann in 2003.
"Qualified instruction with regular training, standardized development of safety equipment and consequent analysis of paragliding injuries will help to improve the safety status in paragliding," claim Bohnsack and Schröter in 2005.
"Appropriate use of protective clothing and close attention to safe flight planning and landing techniques may reduce the injury rate without degrading the experience of flight," suggests Christey in 2005.
"Better education in landing techniques and understanding of aerodynamics may reduce the risk of paragliding accidents," offer Rekand, Schaanning, Varga, Schattel and Gronning in 2008.

2008 Spinal cord injuries among paragliders in Norway
T Rekand, E E Schaanning, V Varga, U Schattel and M Gronning
All patients were hospitalized from 1997 to 2006, eight men and one woman, with mean age 30.7 years. The causes of the accidents were landing problems combined with unexpected wind whirls, technical problems and limited experience with unexpected events. All patients contracted fractures in the thoracolumbal junction of the spine, most commonly at the L1 level. At clinical follow-up, all patients presented clinically incomplete SCI (American Spinal Injury Association impairment scores B–D). Their main health problems differed widely, ranging from urinary and sexual disturbances to neuropathic pain and loss of motor functioning. Only three patients returned to full-time employment after rehabilitation. Conclusion: Paragliding accidents cause spinal fractures predominantly in the thoracolumbal junction with subsequent SCIs and increased morbidity. All patients experienced permanent health problems that influenced daily activities and required long-time clinical follow-up and medical intervention.
Spinal Cord (2008) 46, 412–416

2006 Paragliding Accidents With Spinal Cord Injury: 10 Years' Experience at a Single Institution
Gauler, Rolf MD; Moulin, Patrick MD; Koch, Hans G. MD; Wick, Lukas MD; Sauter, Benno MD; Michel, Dieter MD; Knecht, Hans MD
Paragliding accidents with SCI present a new injury pattern, dealt with in the current literature from a purely orthopedic, sports medicine, or insurance point of view. Few combinations of orthopedic and neurologic data are available....Paragliding accidents with SCI show a characteristic injury pattern associated with a high recovery potential if the initial bony spinal canal occlusion is <70%. Half the patients will reintegrate in their former profession and place of employment.
Spine (2006) Issue 10, pp 1125-1130

2005 Serious parasport injuries in Auckland, New Zealand.
Christey GR
Parachuting/skydiving was responsible for 66% of all serious parasport injuries and 96% of patients were men. Fractures of the lower limbs and lumbar spine were the predominant injuries. ...The magnitude of serious parasport-related trauma is greater than that indicated by previous studies in New Zealand.
Emerg Med Australas 2005 Apr; 17(2):163-6.

2005 Injury patterns and typical stress situations in paragliding
Bohnsack M, SPG dies in crashchröter E
Paragliding is known as a high risk sport with a substantial rate of severe and fatal injuries.
Orthopade 2005 May; 34(5):411-8.

2003 Paragliding - the spine is at risk. A study from a Swiss Trauma Centre Exadaktylos, A.; Sclabas, G.; Eggli, S.; Schönfeld, H.; Gygax, E.; Zimmermann, H.
...It seems that the spine remains the paraglider's 'Achilles heel'.
European J. of Emergency Medicine: March 2003 - Vol 10 # 1 - pp 27-29

2003 Sensation seeking as a common factor in opioid dependent subjects and high risk sport practicing subjects Franques P, Tignol J. Auriacombe M, Piquemal E, Verger M, Brisseau-Gimenez S, Grabot D,
Animal research has outlined a vulnerability trait to drug dependence like behavior. The behavioral characteristic of this vulnerability is hyperactivity in response to a novel environment of which sensation seeking (SS) has been suggested as a possible equivalent in humans. If this is the case, SS should be more frequent in drug dependent and risky sports practicing subjects then controls. The objective of this study was to determine if opioid dependent subjects (ODS) and regular paragliders (RP) would be more SS then normal controls. ...Our results in humans are in favor of the hypothesis that the behavioral trait of vulnerability to drug dependence behavior is expressed through SS.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2003 Mar 1;69(2):121-6.

2002 Injury prophylaxis in paragliding
W Schulze, J Richter, B Schulze, S A Esenwein, K Büttner-Janz1
The number of accidents resulting in spinal injuries was 62 in 1997, 42 in 1998, and 38 in 1999. The most common cause of accident was deflation of the glider (32.5%)... British Journal of Sports Medicine 2002;36:365-369

2000 Pattern of injuries and prophylaxis in paragliding
Schulze W, Hesse B, Blatter G, et al.
43.7% of the pilots presented with multiple injuries, 62.5% suffered spinal fractures and 18.8% pelvic fractures. 28.4% of the injured pilots were admitted with injuries of the lower extremities mainly affecting the tarsus or the ankle joint. Only three patients with single injuries could be treated in an ambulatory setting. 54.0% of the injuries left the patients with lasting functional residues and complaints.
Sportverletz Sportschaden 2000 Jun; 14(2):41-9.

1997 Paragliding accidents in remote areas
Fasching G, Schippinger G, Pretscher R.
...Injuries occur frequently. This retrospective study centers on the helicopter rescue of 70 individuals in paragliding accidents. All histories were examined, and 43 patients answered a questionnaire. Nineteen (42%) pilots were injured when taking off, 20 (44%) during the flight, and six (13%) when landing. Routine and experience did not affect the prevalence of accident. ...Seven (10%) of the pilots suffered multiple trauma, 38 (54%) had injuries of the lower extremities, and 32 (84%) of them sustained fractures. Injuries to the spine were diagnosed in 34 cases with a fracture rate of 85%. One patient had an incomplete paraplegia. Injuries to the head occurred in 17 patients. Fourteen (34%) patients suffered from a permanent damage to their nerves or joints. Forty-three percent of the paragliders continued their sport despite the accident; two of them had another accident.
Wilderness Environ Med. 1997 Aug;8 (3):129-33.

1996 Analysing Accident Statistics Alan Gibson
Two things would make me think twice about continuing this sport: a fatality rate that exceeds my perceived risk level, and an unacceptably high incidence of back injuries - especially amongst experienced pilots who develop canopy collapses near the ground.

1993 Severe parachuting accident. Analysis of 122 cases
Krauss U, Mischkowsky T
Based on a population of 122 severely injured patients the causes of paragliding accidents and the patterns of injury are analyzed. A questionnaire is used to establish a sport-specific profile for the paragliding pilot. The lower limbs (55.7%) and the lower parts of the spine (45.9%) are the most frequently injured parts of the body. There is a high risk of multiple injuries after a single accident because of the tremendous axial power.
Unfallchirurg 1993 Jun; 96(6):299-304.

1993 Paragliding accidents--a prospective analysis in Swiss mountain regions Lautenschlager S, Karli U, Matter P
Spine injuries (36%) and lesions of the lower extremities (35%) were diagnosed most frequently.
Z Unfallchir Versicherungsmed 1993.:55-65.

1991 Injuries in parasailing. A collective GOTS study
Krüger-Franke M, Pförringer W
Regulations permitting the sport of paragliding were issued on April 15, 1987 by the Department of Transportation in Germany. With the rising number participants in this sport, the number of reported injuries has also been steadily increasing. The herein reported epidemiologic study presents the incidence, localization and degree of injuries associated with this sport documented in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. During the period from 1. 1. 1987 until 31. 12. 1989, 218 injuries associated with paragliding were reported in the above mentioned countries. 181 occurred during landing, 28 during start procedures and 9 during flight. The average age of the patients was 29.6 years. The analysis of the localization of the trauma related injury documented 33.9% spinal injuries, 13.8% injuries of the upper extremities and 41.3% of the lower extremities. Over half of these injuries were treated surgically and in 54 instances permanent disability remained.
Sportverletz Sportschaden 1991 Mar; 5(1):1-4.

1991 Hang-gliding accidents in high mountains
Foray J, Abrassart S, Femmy T, Aldilli M
A review of 200 cases of "paragliding" accidents in high mountain areas has been completed. The first flights have been murderous, a thesis written in 1987 in Grenoble showing seven dead out of 97 casualties. Since then the statistics seen to be improving as a consequence of the setting of regulations and the establishment of "paragliding" schools. The more frequent accidents happen on landing: in 70% of the cases fractures of the "tibiotarsienne", the wrist and the spinal column prevail. They happen to young adults between 20 and 40 years old, with a variable experience.
Chirurgie 1991; 117(8):613-7.

1990 Hanggliding--the Icarus syndrome
Billing A, Lob G, Zeller T
Parasailing is a new sport resulting in an increasing number of severe injuries. The analysis of 152 accidents reveals typical trauma mechanisms for the different flight positions. 87 patients (57%) had their crash during the landing approach. 68 pilots (45%) were affected during their primary training course. Spine lesions were found in 30 patients. Lower limb injuries occurred in 44 cases.
Unfallchirurgie 1990 Dec; 16(6):286-90.

1989 Hanggliding accidents. Distribution of injuries and accident analysis Ballmer FT, Jakob RP Schweiz Z
Paragliding--a relatively new sport to Switzerland--brought 23 patients with 48 injuries (38% lower limb and 29% spinal) within a period of 8 months to the Inselspital University hospital in Berne.
Sportmed 1989 Dec; 37(4):247-9.

1988 Accidents with the "paraglider"
Lang TH, Dengg C, Gabl M
The patterns of the injuries showed a high incidence of injuries of the spinal column and high risks for the ankles.
Sportverletz Sportschaden 1988 Sep; 2(3):115-9.

1988 Traumatology in hang-gliding accidents
Reymond MA, de Gottrau P, Fournier PE, Arnold T, Jacomet H, Rigo M
The number of paragliding accidents is growing up exponentially. ...There is a correlation between the altitude, the wind velocity and the severity of the injuries. The lower extremities and the backbone are often injured, which is explained through the axial trauma.
Chirurg 1988 Nov; 59(11):777-81.

CORRESPONDENCE

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 5:17 AM
To: rick@cometclones.com
Subject: Owens Valley fatality

Rick --
I... knew Guen Gifford, the paraglider who died last Sunday in Owens Valley. ...Can you tell me what happened exactly?

    I wasn't there so I can only gather what happened from the reports. However, I have witnessed two paraglider accidents in Owens Valley resulting in the deaths of the pilots, which disturbed me greatly because during my active flying career of 11 years http://www.cometclones.com/RMflightlog.htm I never actually saw a death or serious injury - this despite managing Horseshoe Meadows Launch for the USFS, holding 6 international hang gliding competitions in my role as President of the Cross Country Pilot's Association and participating in the flying during the heyday of XC hang gliding when we expanded our range from 50 miles to 220+ miles. See http://www.cometclones.com/xcpilots.htm and
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=26789074
    Owens Valley has often been described as the most turbulent place in the world to fly hang gliders. This is due to the powerful thermal activity. Using a prototype soaring instrument (a temperature variometer), I developed a new visualization of thermals in 1986 that was published in the Journal of the Soaring Society of America. http://www.cometclones.com/illusion.htm
    The classical vision was a simple ball of warm air rising quickly through cooler layers. My new vision, determined through changing temperature rate measurements, indicated that warmer outside layers were “sloughing” from the rising air and tumbling as they drifted away on horizontal tangents. This explained thermal turbulence and the unpredictable downdrafts that exist in the vicinity of thermals. I like to point out that this discovery was so significant that the Soaring Society broke its ten-year ban on the mention of hang gliding to publish it. (Hang gliding had become the most dangerous flying activity in the early 1970s and had given the sport of soaring a black eye.)
    In 1981, in conclusion of a three-part series for “Wings” in the UK, I wrote, “The predictions of a great number of deaths in the Owens Valley from hang gliding accidents have proved false, due in part to the great sophistication of the modern wings and the respect of the pilots who fly the Owens Valley. In fact, if the proper level of respect had been exercised by all pilots to date, there would have been no deaths and only a few injuries. Let us learn from the lessons of others and avoid our own mistakes as we make the Owens Valley the world's foremost aerial playground.”
    The major component of that sophistication was an airframe that kept the fabric wing in the shape of an airfoil. In the 1970s the airframe had not been perfected, allowing the sail to lose its airfoil shape, resulting in unrecoverable dives that killed the pilots. By the late 1970s, tip struts and full-span battening caused the wings to immediately recover from pitch-down attitudes.

The most serious pitch-down attitude encountered in Owens Valley flying happens when a pilot circling inside the core of a rapidly-ascending thermal inadvertently slips a wingtip into the cooler air on the periphery that

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