Paragliding
British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association logo

British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association

safety
incidents
reports

Incident Reports (Informal)

Incident reports received by the BHPA are available in summary form on this page. If you're looking for reports of formal investigations undertaken in the case of a serious incident, please visit our Incident Reports (formal investigations) page.

Hang Glider (Courtesy Ilan Ginzburg)

Incident reports are available in summary form for the following wing types:

Incident reports for flexwing hang glider wings are displayed below in summary form.

The BHPA incident reports database is fully searchable. To refine your search you can specify a particular wing type and select "or" or "and". For example, if you want to search for paraglider incidents at Hay Bluff, for best search results select paraglider from the drop down list and the "and" option.

If you want to search by incident date, please enter the day, month and year numerically as dd-mm-yyyy (eg. 03-12-2019).

or and

If known, total hours and total flights flown are displayed below together with hours and flights flown in the past six months, the latter being displayed in brackets.

There are 420 entries for flexwing hang glider wings

Displaying page 12 out of 42

[ Top ] - [ Prev ] - [ Next ] - [ Bottom ]

Date Pilot Location Wing Type Summary Injury
Incident Reports

Date
11.07.2015

Pilot
Male

Age:
49

Rating:
CP tow

Location
Bradwell,
Bradwell,
UK

Wind Strength:
25-30 km/h

Conditions:
Moderate,
Moderate Turbulence

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Wing:
Airwave
Calypso

Summary
Unqualified pilot flew downwind and low into a gully, striking a dry stone wall.

Injury
Pilot:
Seriously Injured

Date
28.06.2015

Pilot
Rating:
Unqualified

Location
Training slope,
E Sussex

Wind Strength:
10-15 km/h

Conditions:
Calm,
Not Turbulent

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Wing:
Airborne
Fun

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
Student was attempting basic training run with glider. Fell forward on to large training wheels. Rolled to a stop. Student complained of pain in shoulder.

Injury
Pilot:
Minor Injuries,

Hands, Arms, Shoulder

Date
26.04.2015

Pilot
Male

Age:
31

Rating:
P

Flying Experience:
16 years

133 hours
(3 hours)

(5 flights)

Location
Llangollen,
UK

Wind Strength:
20-25 km/h

Conditions:
Strong,
Front Influence

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Wing:
Avian
Java

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
Pilot attempted to return to ridge having gone over the back. Pilot realised he was not going to make it and turned downwind to try and escape any turbulence. Pilot encountered turbulence on final approach and landed heavily.

Injury
Pilot:
Minor Injuries,

Hands, Arms, Shoulder

Date
18.04.2015

Pilot
Male

Age:
40

Rating:
AP

Flying Experience:
32 years

379 hours
(4 hours)

1492 flights
(7 flights)

Location
Sharpenhoe Clappers,
Sharpenhoe,
UK

Wind Strength:
30-35 km/h

Conditions:
Calm,
Moderate Turbulence

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Wing:
Avian
Evo2

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
Pilot took off and balaclava slipped down over his eyes. Pilot was able to restore some visibility and was able to bottom land.

Injury
Pilot:
Unhurt

Date
17.04.2015

Pilot
Male

Age:
71

Rating:
AP

Flying Experience:
49 years

3500 hours
(50 hours)

1750 flights
(25 flights)

Location
Beadlam Rigg

Wind Strength:
25-30 km/h

Conditions:,
Moderate Turbulence

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Wing:
Wills Wing
U2

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
Pilot made final approach with insufficient airspeed. Landed heavily.

Injury
Pilot:
Minor Injuries,

Hands, Arms, Shoulder

Date
27.02.2015

Pilot
Male

Rating:
P

Flying Experience:
1067 hours
(14 hours)

1250 flights
(12 flights)

Location
Dunstable Downs,
Dunstable,
UK

Wind Strength:
10-15 km/h

Conditions:
Moderate,
Moderate Turbulence

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Wing:
Aeros
COMBAT

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
Pilot misjudged approach and was caught out by wind shear. Pilot decided to drag feet in an attempt to slow down, rather than overshoot, but ended up heading for a large hole. Pilot pushed out and stalled, landing heavily on uprights.

Injury
Pilot:
Unhurt

Date
25.02.2015

Pilot
Male

Age:
52

Rating:
AP

Flying Experience:
5000 hours
(100 hours)

10000 flights
(100 flights)

Location
El Penon,
Valle de Bravo,
Mexico

Wind Strength:
5-10 km/h

Conditions:
Moderate,
Not Turbulent

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Wing:
Moyes
Litespeed RX

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
Pilot took off without closing leg loops. Pilot was able to close harness and fly until landing conditions at bottom landing field became mild. Hang position meant pilot could not execute a controlled landing. pilot nosed in but without damage to glider or injury to himself.

Injury
Pilot:
Unhurt

Date
17.02.2015

Pilot
Male

Age:
52

Rating:
P

Flying Experience:
30 years


Location
Devils dyke,
Brighton,
UK

Wind Strength:
15-20 km/h

Conditions:
Calm,
Moderate Turbulence

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Wing:
Moyes


Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
While flying into wind above the top of the hill and slightly behind a run-down building, the pilot swooped down behind the building, peaking just before the front edge of the building. At this point he turned, clipping the left wing tip on the building which sent him face first into the ground.

Injury
Pilot:
Minor Injuries

Date
03.02.2015

Pilot
Male

Age:
52

Rating:
AP

Flying Experience:
41 years

5000 hours
(100 hours)

5000 flights
(100 flights)

Location
El Penon,
Valle de Bravo,
Mexico

Wind Strength:
5-10 km/h

Conditions:
Moderate,
Not Turbulent

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
Pilot deployed 'drag chute' which became entangled in unzip string. Drag chute and unzip string were located on the same side of the harness.

Injury
Pilot:
Unhurt

Date
28.01.2015

Pilot
Male

Age:
47

Rating:
CP

Flying Experience:
11 years

1 hour
(1 hour)

2 flights

Location
Mirador,
Orzola, Lanzarote,
Spain

Wind Strength:
5-10 km/h

Conditions:
Calm,
Not Turbulent

Wing Type
Flexwing Hang Glider

Wing:
Aeros
Target

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
Pilot stalled glider on landing approach.

Injury
Pilot:
Seriously Injured,

Hands, Arms, Shoulder

Last updated: 11 July 2025

Displaying page 12 out of 42

[ Top ] - [ Prev ] - [ Next ] - [ Bottom ]

A number of incident analysis reports are also available in the safety section of our website. These are compiled from the individual incident reports submitted during the course of each year.

 

Skywings Magazine Online
Submit an Incident Report
BHPA Pilot Handbook
The BHPA is a members of the Royal Aero Club
The BHPA is a member of the European Hang Gliding and Paragliding Union
The Civil Aviation Authority Drone and Model Aircraft Code
The General Aviation Safety Council Flight Safety Magazine

© British Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association 2004 - 2025