#HANG GLIDER CRASH TRIAL#

This, the defendant alleged, caused RG to be lifted in the air and thrown back against the rock face several times. The initial assertions from the defendant were that RG’s injuries were exacerbated by the failure of RG’s parachute to deploy effectively (implying that RG had failed to pack it correctly) and the downwash of the rescue helicopter. The collision resulted in RG falling out of the sky, colliding with the face of a cliff edge and suffering a traumatic spinal injury, which caused tetraplegia. This case involved a collision between RG and a fellow competitor, the defendant, during a hang gliding competition in France. The case of RG – mid-air collision during a hang gliding competition, resolved through ADR Other participants – flying close to other participants requires vigilance and care.Equipment – issues can arise from failure to correctly assemble equipment or due to mechanical failure of the equipment itself.This means having to react to changing weather conditions or not flying at all if the weather conditions are not right. Weather – the suitability of a flight can be directly affected by the weather.Training programs have since been developed that emphasise flying within safe limits, as well as the self-discipline needed to stop flying when weather conditions are unfavourable.

#HANG GLIDER CRASH TRIAL#

Early hang glider pilots learned their sport through trial and error with gliders which were sometimes home-built. However, advances in pilot training and glider construction have led to a much-improved safety record, and accident rates have decreased significantly. Paragliders may also be motorised through the pilot wearing a motor propeller under the paraglider wing.ĭue to the poor safety record of early hang gliding, the sport has traditionally been considered unsafe. In paragliding, the pilot sits in a harness suspended below the wing. Paragliding differs from hang gliding as the structure is supple. Hang gliding is one of several ‘air sports’ that has grown over recent years, along with paragliding and sky diving. The number of people now engaged in the sport is at an all-time high. As a result of this and the increased availability of flexible-wing hang gliders, interest in hang gliding has soared in the UK since the 1980s. The design of early hang gliders meant pilots were restricted to gliding down small hills, but functionality began to improve significantly during the 1970s which lead to pilots being able to fly for hours and over much longer distances.

Hang gliders can also be motorised by using a specially designed harness with an engine attached (known as powered hang gliding). Hang gliding is a recreational activity in which a pilot utilises unpowered flying apparatus consisting of a rigid frame with a stretched fabric aerofoil over the top to form a wing.

Hang glider crash