Injury prophylaxis in paragliding

Abstract

Objectives:To show trends in paragliding injuries and derive recommendations for safety precautions for paraglider pilots on the basis of accident statistics, interviews, questionnaires, medical reports, and current stage of development of paragliding equipment.Methods:All paragliding accidents in Germany have to be reported. Information on 409 accidents was collected and analysed for the period 1997–1999.Results:There was a substantial decrease in reported accidents (166 in 1997; 127 in 1998; 116 in 1999). The number of accidents resulting in spinal injuries was 62 in 1997, 42 in 1998, and 38 in 1999. The most common cause of accident was deflation of the glider (32.5%), followed by oversteering (13.9%), collision with obstacles (12.0%), take off errors (10.3%), landing errors (13.7%), misjudgment of weather conditions (4.9%), unsatisfactory preflight checks (4.9%), mid-air collisions with other flyers (2.2%), accidents during winching (2.2%), and defective equipment (0.5%). Accidents predominantly occurred in mountain areas. Fewer than 100 flights had been logged for 40% of injured pilots. In a total of 39 accidents in which emergency parachutes were used, 10 pilots were seriously injured (26%) and an additional three were killed (8%).Conclusions:Injuries in paragliding caused by unpredictable situations can be minimised by (a) using safer gliders in the beginner or intermediate category, (b) improving protection systems, such as padded back protection, and (c) improving pilot skills through performance and safety training.

Characteristics of injuries caused by paragliding accidents: A cross-sectional study

“…The paragliding injury rate varies from 120 to 360 per 100 000 jumps. [4,5,8,[10][11][12] We found an accident rate of 26 per 100 000 jumps in our study. We thought that exclusion of accidents with no judicial medical reports or no admission to hospital may be responsible for this low value.…”

“…[3,7] The mean age of the patients was also consistent with that reported in the literature. [1,2,8,9] Our review of the literature did not show any studies reporting a comparison of the characteristics of injuries between single and tandem paragliding accidents. Our results suggested that the rate of paragliding accidents is significantly higher in individual flights than in tandem flights (P<0.05).…”

“…Paragliding injuries are more uncommon than other types of trauma injuries. [2] The number of accidents that usually cause high energy trauma and subsequent morbidity or mortality has tended to increase in this sport correlatively with the increasing number of fl ights. [3,4] World J Emerg Med, Vol 6, No 3, 2015 Single fl ight 13 31 44 Tandem fl ight 5 33 38 Total 18 64 82 Table 2.…”

“…[2] The number of accidents that usually cause high energy trauma and subsequent morbidity or mortality has tended to increase in this sport correlatively with the increasing number of fl ights. [3,4] World J Emerg Med, Vol 6, No 3, 2015 Single fl ight 13 31 44 Tandem fl ight 5 33 38 Total 18 64 82 Table 2. Number of deaths and injuries according to the types of fl ights Flight phase Number of deaths Number of injured patients Total Take-off 1 26 27 Mid-air 17 28 45 Landing 10 10 Total 18 64 82 Table 3.…”

“…Design and equipment have been refi ned until then. [1,2] This sport has gained popularity worldwide since its equipment is more affordable and easier to obtain than other kinds of aerial sports, and moreover, it does not require any logistical support such as an airport. It has been performed over Baba Mountain in the region of Fethiye in Turkey since the early 1990s ( Figure 1).…”