Paragliding

Is paragliding safe?

It is a moderately dangerous sport, with a risk per flight higher than skydiving or scuba diving. The best estimate comes from a 2022 study by Matt Wilkes and colleagues at the University of Portsmouth, who combined a survey of UK pilots' flying with incident databases. They found 1.4 deaths and 20 serious injuries per 100,000 flights, about 14 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per flight, and judged paragliding roughly twice as risky as general aviation and skydiving.

The other main finding is more encouraging. Accidents usually came from what pilots did, not from what their equipment did. Equipment failure explained only 0.6% of incidents.

Two ways to count the risk

Per flight is the most useful measure for a pilot deciding whether to fly today. Per year is useful for thinking about a hobby.

Measure	Figure	Source
Deaths per 100,000 flights	1.4 (1.1–1.9)	Wilkes et al., UK, 2022
Serious injuries per 100,000 flights	20 (18–27)	Wilkes et al., UK, 2022
Deaths per 100,000 pilots per year	47.1	Feletti et al., BHPA members, 2000–2014

The two fit together. A pilot who makes about 35 flights a year at 14 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per flight collects close to 470 micromorts a year, the same as 47 deaths per 100,000 pilots. Keen pilots who fly far more often take on a correspondingly larger risk.

What goes wrong

A paraglider has no rigid structure. The wing keeps its shape only because air is flowing into it, so turbulence can fold part of it in a "collapse". Most collapses recover by themselves or with a quick input from the pilot. The dangerous ones happen close to the ground, in strong thermals or on high-performance wings that react more sharply.

The Wilkes study classed most incidents as errors of control or decision. In practice, that means patterns like these:

• Flying in conditions beyond the pilot's skill, such as strong midday thermals, gusty wind or approaching storms.
• Launch and landing mistakes, the most common source of injuries.
• Flying too close to terrain, where a collapse leaves no height to recover or throw a reserve.
• Choosing a wing above the pilot's level. High-performance wings glide further but are less forgiving.

German pilots reported 385 accidents and incidents to the national association DHV in 2024, more than half of them abroad, with 167 serious injuries and 10 deaths. Flights in unfamiliar mountains abroad add risk for holiday pilots.

Injuries

Most injuries come on landing and hit the lower body. Feletti and colleagues found that ankle fractures, sprains and dislocations were the most common, followed by upper limb injuries. Hard impacts after a collapse or stall near the ground can cause spinal fractures, which is why harnesses now carry back protectors made of foam or airbags.

Tandem flights for visitors

Many people first try paragliding on a tandem flight on holiday. The pilot does the launching, flying and landing, so the passenger mostly needs to run when told and lift their legs for landing. The risk depends almost entirely on the pilot and the operator, so check their national tandem rating and insurance before you fly.

How to fly more safely

1. Learn at a school recognised by your national association (BHPA in the UK, USHPA in the US, DHV in Germany), and fly under supervision until you are rated.
2. Make the weather call conservatively. If you are unsure about the wind or thermals, do not launch. Watch other pilots first.
3. Fly a wing within your rating. Move up classes slowly, and only after an SIV (simulation of incidents) course.
4. Keep height away from terrain, so a collapse leaves room to recover or deploy the reserve.
5. Carry and maintain a reserve parachute, have it repacked on schedule and practise deploying it.
6. Wear a certified helmet and use a harness with back protection.
7. Carry a phone, radio or satellite tracker, and tell someone where you plan to fly and land.

How we scored it

Fatality risk (60) reflects about 14 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per flight. Injury risk (60) and the rescue environment (50) are weak because landings in hills and trees are common. Controllability (65) gets credit because pilot decisions, not gear, cause most incidents. Compare skydiving, which has a lower risk per jump, and BASE jumping.