Hang gliding is a thrilling aerial sport very similar to paragliding, which can cause an issue with some statistics as they may get skewed to be calculated together. However, after hours of research, I have found numerous studies about hang-gliding accidents that provide good information on the accidents and fatalities that have occurred over the years.
Hang gliding is considered a relatively safe aerial sport. However, what makes hang gliding dangerous is that minor mistakes can be life-threatening. On average, there are about 10 fatal hang gliding accidents worldwide each year, with the USA reporting approximately 3.2 fatalities per year.
I have read numerous studies and spent hours researching the safety statistics of hang gliding. Many factors contribute to the safety of hang gliding as a sport. The accuracy of hang gliding death rates is skewed for various reasons, but primarily because they are not properly recorded or easily accessible. In my opinion, I feel this hinders the advancement of safety in the sport.
Is Hang Gliding Dangerous?
Hang gliding can be extremely dangerous, as in many locations in the world, like the US, you do not need a license to fly. It is a self-regulated sport, making it extremely dangerous for those with little experience flying. You must still follow FAA rules and regulations as you are still flying in the air.
In the USA, to take off and land in many places, you do have to be a member of the USHPA (United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association). The USHPA’s goal is to build a community among its members, supporting the development and preservation of flying sites, providing an organizational framework for training and certification, promoting safety culture, and advancing the sports of hang gliding and paragliding.
Hang gliding as a sport comes with many risks as there is an average of 3.2 deaths per years for hang gliding USPHA members (from 2013 to 2022).
The worst thing is that USPHA does not list the number of hang gliding flights per year, which doesn’t give us a great understanding of fatalities per flight. Maybe someone can help us out on this in the comments? See each of the USPHA fatality reports here.
There are hang-gliding deaths in other popular hang gliding locations around the globe each year. They are not extremely common, but they do happen. In a study from 2000 to 2018, in Canton of Berne, Switzerland, which includes Interlaken, the adventure capital of the country, there were 5 hang gliding deaths over the total duration. This number is much lower, but understand the study is of a much smaller population than the entire USA hang gliding community.
If we forget about fatalities and consider accidents, very few serious injuries come from the sport, too. In 2019, the USHPA provided us with a full 2019 Hang Gliding Accident Summary, it states that there were four reported deaths and only three serious injuries.
Another study in the Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine concludes that aerial sports are considered dangerous sports activities, but when it comes to injuries, hospitalizations, and operation rates, they are very low. This study shows injury rates by activity were 1.46% for parachuting, 0.35% for paragliding, and 0.04% for hang gliding.
In this study of 6606 hang gliding flights, there were zero deaths and three injuries. Each injury happened during landing, and out of the three injuries, two required hospitalization/operation. There was one lower and upper extremity fracture.
With all this information, we don’t get a clear idea of how dangerous hang gliding is. We know there is a possibility of fatal accidents, although they are minimal. There is also a chance of a serious injury, which is similar to the fatality rate.
How Many Hang Gliding Deaths Happen Per Year?
It is estimated that 10 hang gliding accidents happen each year. In the USA, there are an average 3.2 hang gliding deaths annually.
You can see the chart below to see how many fatalities happened each year as part of the USHPA reports.
The main issue here is we do not get a number of how many flights the organization members take each year. This number would give is a better understanding of a number of deaths per flight. Researching the community, it is common for a hang glider to get out for a flight multiple times per week, while some go every couple of months; there is no recorded data here.
If we were to guess and say that on average a member of the USHPA flies their hang glider once per month, we could estimate that there are approximately 3.2 deaths per 37,200 hang gliding flights in the USA.
Note these are simply rough estimations based on limited information we are provided.
USHPA Fatality Report Numbers 2013 to 2022:
| Year | Hang Gliding | Paragliding | Speed Flying |
| 2022 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 | 3 | NA |
| 2019 | 4 | 9 | NA |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | NA |
| 2017 | 1 | 6 | NA |
| 2016 | 8 | 4 | NA |
| 2015 | 9 | 10 | NA |
| 2014 | 1 | 9 | NA |
| 2013 | 2 | 6 | NA |
What makes Hang Gliding Dangerious?
There are a number of things that make hang gliding a dangerous sport, I would not say one thing on its own makes it dangerous. Any extreme aerial sport is dangerous based on the fact that any mistake can lead to death or serious injury.
Let me go over the most common reasons hang gliding is dangerous in their own sections below:
Flying Too Close to the Ground
Flying to low to the ground causes a concern for a few different reasons. Let me go over them:
Ground Effect: Flying near the ground can place pilots within the “ground effect” zone, where aerodynamic interactions can be unpredictable. A slight miscalculation can lead to a stall or collision. It can cause the hang glider to “float” while below the recommended speed, resulting in loss of control.
Terrain and Obstructions: Mountains, trees, bridges, and other ground-based obstacles can pose significant threats to pilots, especially when flying too low. Striking a mountain, tree, or any obstacle can cause death or serious injury. Their presence can also change wind patterns, leading to unexpected turbulence. Most fatal hang gliding accidents are collisions into the ground.
Limited Recovery Time: This is the most important reason. Low altitude offers little room for error and, in the event of an emergency, being low to the ground reduces the time available for a pilot to correct or deploy emergency systems.
Take-Off and Landing Errors
Take-off and landing contribute to many hang gliding fatalities. In one of the studies, incomplete or missing preflight checks was a cause for hang gliding accidents.
You must take these two very seriously because of the risks involved. Being in close proximity to the ground during take-offs and landings increases the possibility of any errors.
The presence of rocks, uneven terrain, or other hazards in launch or landing zones can make these phases even more challenging.
Inconsistent launches or premature flares during landing can result in accidents even in optimal hang gliding conditions.
Weather Conditions
The weather is more important than ever, if you choose to fly in poor conditions, you are tremendously increasing your odds of an accident.
Be aware of how unpredictable the weather is. It can change rapidly, especially in mountainous or coastal regions. Conditions that might seem safe at the beginning of a flight can quickly become treacherous.
You need to know all you can about thermals and turbulence. Encountering unexpected thermals or turbulence can disorient pilots, leading to loss of control.
Being able to see is the most important part of flying a hang glider, never take off in limited visibility. Fog, rain, or low cloud cover can reduce visibility, disorient pilots, and increase the risk of collision with ground obstacles.
Equipment Malfunctions
Gliders are mechanical structures, and like all machines, they can fail. From broken keels to malfunctioning harnesses, equipment issues can be catastrophic mid-flight. A malfunction is more likely to happen if you do not do proper pre-flight checks and safety preparation.
Furthermore, overlooking your regular maintenance and equipment checks can result in undetected wear and tear, increasing the risk of your gear malfunctioning during your flight.
Always use gear that is up to safety standards and has been properly maintained.
Pilot Experience and Poor Judgment
A hang gliding flight is only as safe as the pilot in charge. Almost all hang gliding fatalities could have been prevented if the pilot made better decisions at the beginning of the flight.
It is crucial that you do not exceed your abilities as a pilot, do not get cocky and try things that are out of your scope of skills. If a pilot overestimates their skills, it leads them to take unnecessary risks or fly in conditions they’re not prepared for. This is much more likely to lead to a crash.
Be extra cautious in areas you are unfamiliar with, as flying in unfamiliar locations can lead to unexpected flying conditions such as weather changes or thermals.
In high-stress situations, pilots might make impulsive decisions rather than relying on their training and experience. Stay calm and take control of the situations you may be put in, this can save your life.
Is Hang Gliding Becoming Safer or More Dangerous?
There is a declining number of hang gliders in the USHPA; in 2014 there were approximately 3600 hang glider members, in 2020 there were approximately 2600 members. This is a decrease in members of about 10% per year, the numbers can be seen here on the ushpa.com website. Non-members can still fly, however.
This makes me believe that hang gliding as a sport is decreasing in popularity and other aerial sports like paragliding and skydiving are becoming more popular. If fewer people are hang gliding, there will be fewer accidents and fatalities.
Over the years, there have been many advances in hang gliding training and glider construction. This makes hang gliding safer today than it has ever been.
In my personal opinion, I think the sport can become safer. If you are allowed to fly without the need of a license or technical training, this can lead to bad habits and poor pilots.
Increase the requirements for pilots and begin tracking more information on hang glider flights, especially fatal ones; we can use the data gathered to prevent more accidents.
I found it challenging researching the subject as there is much less data available about hang gliding than there is about skydiving. Even wingsuit statistics seemed easier to find.
Is Hang Gliding Safer Than Paragliding?
Hang gliding and paragliding are both exhilarating air sports with inherent risks that can be minimized through proper training and precautions. Hang gliding has an estimated fatality rate of about 0.086 deaths per 1,000 flights, while paragliding sees about 0.074 deaths per 1,000 flights.
According to the USHPA data, paragliding started becoming more popular than hang gliding in 2012. The amount of paragliding memberships to hang gliding was almost double in 2020, at that rate I would expect it to be more than double today.
Also, looking at the fatalities from the USHPA fatalities report (the table above in this article), paragliding has an average of 5.7 deaths per year in the USA, compared to 3.2 per year for hang gliders. This doesn’t prove hang gliding is safer, only that it is less popular in my opinion.
Is Hang Gliding Safer Than Skydiving?
Skydiving is considered a much safer extreme sport than hang gliding. Over the past five years in the US, skydiving averaged 0.404 deaths per 100,000 jumps compared to hang gliding’s 5.91 deaths per 100,000 flights. However, skydiving averages more annual fatalities at 13.8 than hang gliding at 2.2 deaths yearly.
The data used is from both the USHPA and the USPA fatality reports provided. The data is estimated based on information provided and the research I conducted.
Safety Tips for Hang Gliding
It is important to follow all the recommended safety tips provided by expert hang gliders with experience. Here are some safety tips you can consider if you are interested in hang gliding:
- Proper Training: Always undergo thorough training from a certified instructor or school.
- Check Equipment: Regularly inspect all equipment, including the frame, bolts, cables, harness, and sail, for wear and tear.
- Weather Awareness: Understand and respect weather conditions. Avoid flying in turbulent weather, strong winds, or when thunderstorms are nearby.
- Know the Launch and Landing Sites: Familiarize yourself with your launch and landing areas. Make sure the areas are clear of obstacles.
- Wear Safety Gear: Always wear a helmet, gloves, and other protective gear. A parachute, although rarely used, should be worn and checked regularly.
- Stay Within Limits: Don’t push your boundaries. Fly within your skill level and avoid trying complex maneuvers unless trained for them.
- Follow Regulations: Adhere to any rules or guidelines set by local aviation authorities or hang gliding organizations.
- Stay Hydrated and Nourished: Dehydration or low energy can affect your judgment and reflexes.
- Avoid Distractions: Stay focused on flying. This means not using cameras, phones, or other devices unless you are very confident in your multitasking abilities while airborne.
- Communicate: If you’re flying in an area with other gliders, communicate your intentions. Use radios if necessary.
- Emergency Preparedness: Always inform someone on the ground about your flight plan. Carry a whistle, a flashlight, and a first aid kit in case you land in a remote area and need to signal for help or treat minor injuries.
- Stay Physically Fit: Hang gliding requires physical strength, especially during take-offs and landings. Regular exercise can help maintain the required fitness level.
- Continuous Learning: The world of hang gliding is always evolving. Regularly take refresher courses or workshops to stay updated.
- Respect Wildlife: Especially in areas known for bird populations, be mindful of your surroundings to avoid disturbing or colliding with birds.
- Maintain Situational Awareness: Always be aware of your altitude, position, and potential hazards in the environment.
Remember, while these tips can enhance safety, there’s always an inherent risk with any extreme sport. The key is preparation and making informed decisions.
Final Thoughts
Hang gliding is an exhilarating aerial sport that shares similarities with paragliding, occasionally complicating statistics. It can make the data research a bit more challenging, that’s for sure.
I have found old studies and documents that listed off stats that had zero resources, so these are making the numbers potentially skewed and false.
In my research, I did my best to provide you with studies from trusted resources while getting as much information directly from the source (hang gliding associations).
Hang gliding is technically considered a safe sport. But with less popularity and deaths still occurring, it is something you may want to consider if you are interested in the sport. Other sports like skydiving offer more stats and data, showing that the sport is much safer.
Also, understand the consequences that come with extreme aerial sports. With one simple mistake in flight, you may not get a chance to make another one. These activities must be taken seriously, proper training is required, or you could find your self seriously injured or even killed.
This article is based on my opinion and estimations are not always correct figures. Take them with a grain of salt.
Stay safe my adventurers!
Jamie is the founder of Action Sporter. He is the chief zipline writer and the lead editor. He has 5 years of zipline experience being a tour guide in Newfoundland. Most of the time you can find Jamie adventure traveling, hiking, skiing, skateboarding, or anything action related!