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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.

Paraglider

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

Incident reports for paraglider 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 2537 entries for paraglider wings

Displaying page 2 out of 254

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Date Pilot Location Wing Type Summary Injury
Incident Reports

Date
26.07.2025

Pilot
Male

Age:
55

Rating:
CP

Flying Experience:
1 year


Location
Crete Road,
Folkestone,
UK

Wind Strength:
20-25 km/h

Conditions:
Calm

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
BGD
Base

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
On approach to top land in gusty conditions, the paraglider was seen to suffer an asymmetric collapse close to the ground and the pilot was unable to regain control before impact.

Injury
Pilot:
Seriously Injured,

Lumbar Spine

Date
26.07.2025

Pilot
Male

Age:
51

Rating:
CP

Flying Experience:
1 year

22 hours
(15 hours)

63 flights
(48 flights)

Location
Bell Hill,
Dorset,
UK

Wind Strength:
15-20 km/h

Conditions:
Calm,
Moderate Turbulence,
Front Influence

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
Phi
Maestro 2

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
The pilot was blown back over the hilltop in an increasing wind. They encountered rotor near to the ground which brought about a landing in a tree.

Injury
Pilot:
Unhurt

Date
16.07.2025

Pilot
Male

Age:
57

Rating:
CP

Flying Experience:
1 year

15 hours
(10 hours)

54 flights

Location
Carn Liath,
Creag Meagaidh/Highlands,
UK

Wind Strength:
10-15 km/h

Conditions:
Moderate,
Light Turbulence

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
Air Design
Eazy 3

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
The pilot made a downwind landing approach in an area adjacent to the landing field. They sustained injury when they impacted the bank of a ditch in a seated position in their harness.

Injury
Pilot:
Seriously Injured

Date
12.07.2025

Pilot
Male

Age:
47

Rating:
CP

Flying Experience:
1 year

13 hours
(13 hours)

30 flights
(30 flights)

Location
Pandy,
South East Wales,
UK

Wind Strength:
5-10 km/h

Conditions:
Moderate,
Moderate Turbulence

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
Advance
Alpha 7

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
The pilot misjudged the wind direction and ground speed when landing on uneven ground at a new site (to them).

Injury
Pilot:
Minor Injuries,

Hands, Arms, Shoulder

Date
11.07.2025

Pilot
Male

Age:
49

Rating:
P

Flying Experience:
7 years

450 hours
(50 hours)

(30 flights)

Location
Bradwell Edge,
Derbyshire,
UK

Wind Strength:
0-5 km/h

Conditions:
Moderate,
Light Turbulence

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
Flow Paragliders
Mystic

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
The pilot was scratching in weak lift close to the ground within the site's bowl. They encountered sinking air which brought about a slope landing, the glider settling on a tree.

Injury
Pilot:
Unhurt

Date
11.07.2025

Pilot
Female

Age:
35

Rating:
P

Flying Experience:
11 years

400 hours
(30 hours)

Location
Obersteinberg,
Bernese Oberland,
Switzerland

Wind Strength:
0-5 km/h

Conditions:
Calm,
Not Turbulent

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
Advance
Omega ULS

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
The pilot reported that shortly after take-off the glider accelerated and then suffered an asymmetric collapse. The pilot performed a recovery but the energy of the manoeuvre in proximity to the terrain led to a spiral to the ground, where they sustained injury. The pilot noted that the acceleration may have been caused by the speed system possibly being stuck in an activated position inside their pod harness.

Injury
Pilot:
Seriously Injured

Date
09.07.2025

Pilot
Male

Age:
64

Rating:
P

Flying Experience:
7 years

540 hours
(40 hours)

1980 flights
(65 flights)

Location
Crete Road,
Folkestone,
UK

Wind Strength:
10-15 km/h

Conditions:,
Light Turbulence

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
Air Design
Rise 5

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
The pilot inadvertently induced a spin when encountering sinking air. They impacted the ground, landing on foliage which dampened the impact.

Injury
Pilot:
Unhurt

Date
08.07.2025

Pilot
Male

Age:
66

Rating:
P

Flying Experience:
17 years

800 hours
(40 hours)

Location
Liddington,
Chiseldon,
UK

Wind Strength:
5-10 km/h

Conditions:
Moderate,
Moderate Turbulence

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
Niviuk
Ikuma 3

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
The paraglider suffered an asymmetric collapse when flying close to the ground and the pilot landed hard in a seated position.

Injury
Pilot:
Minor Injuries

Date
08.07.2025

Pilot
Male

Age:
45

Rating:
CP

Flying Experience:
23 years

25 hours
(2 hours)

85 flights
(7 flights)

Location
Bell Hill,
Blandford Forum,
UK

Wind Strength:
15-20 km/h

Conditions:
Calm,
Light Turbulence

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
BGD
Epic 2

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
The pilot attempted a slope landing and misjudged their approach, landing fast slightly up the slope.

Injury
Pilot:
Seriously Injured,

Feet, Legs

Date
03.07.2025

Pilot
Male

Age:
65

Rating:
P

Flying Experience:
9 years

800 hours
(90 hours)

800 flights
(40 flights)

Location
Beacon Hill,
Malvern,
UK

Wind Strength:
20-25 km/h

Conditions:
Moderate,
Moderate Turbulence

Wing Type
Paraglider

Wing:
Phi
Maestro 2

Launch Type:
Foot

Summary
The pilot was lifted by a gust during launch and dragged over the hill, ending up on the lee side after being swung into the slope. The pilot managed to gain control of the wing and land further down the lee side of the slope.

Injury
Pilot:
Minor Injuries,

Pelvis

Last updated: 12 September 2025

Displaying page 2 out of 254

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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.

 

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