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14 July 2023
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First ever tandem paragliding fatality in South Africa, Sea Point, Cape Town
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58-year-old Irish national Greig Oliver was killed after a freak accident along the Sea Point promenade in Cape Town saw two paragliders collide in mid-air, one of them managing to land safely while the other landed on the rocks on Monday, 3 July 2023. The two tandem paragliders, which had taken off from Signal Hill, carried two pilots and two passengers.
According to National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon, NSRI Bakoven and Table Bay reacted to the accident opposite Sea Point High School.
Lambinon said the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) had also been alerted to the accident.
“One tandem paraglider reportedly landed safely and both the pilot and passenger were found to be not injured. A second tandem paraglider reportedly deployed a reserve parachute and is believed to have landed in the surf approximately (believed to be) 200 to 300 metres off-shore of Sea Point Promenade”, said Lambinon.
“NSRI rescue craft from NSRI Bakoven and from NSRI Table Bay, NSRI rescue swimmers, the South African Police Services, Western Cape Government Health EMS rescue squad, City of Cape Town (CoCT) Law Enforcement, Netcare 911 ambulance services and Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services responded”, he added.
“On arrival on the scene the adult male pilot of the tandem paraglider (that had reportedly deployed the reserve parachute) was safely on the shore and he was treated for minor injuries. The tandem passenger, a 58-year-old Irish man, was on rocks in the water off-shore of the Sea Point Promenade.”
“NSRI rescue swimmers and paramedics reached the man and he was freed from paragliding gear and recovered onto rocks where Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) efforts commenced. Despite extensive CPR efforts he was sadly declared deceased by paramedics.”
“The body of the man was recovered to the shoreline and taken into the care of Police and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.”
Louis Stanford, chairperson of the South African Hang-gliders and Paragliders Association, says he is in "no position to comment" since this event is currently being investigated with an inquest docket opened by local police. Stanford says, "We will have to review video footage to understand what happened".
He says that tandem companies are governed by robust frameworks and technical standards adhered to by aviation acts with a system of checks and balances and licensed instructors who come from a school that conducts these flights. Pilots take off sequentially from Signal Hill, not at the same time because there are international rules of the air which they stick to rigidly, so he is "not sure what happened".
Stanford explained that this is the first tandem passenger ever to die in South Africa adding that "it's an exceptionally rare occurrence".
The SA Civil Aviation Authority’s Accident and Incident Investigations Division (AIID) says it has been requested to investigate the paragliding accident in which 58-year-old Irish national Greig Oliver was killed along the Sea Point Promenade.
The AIID said the South African Hang-gliding and Paragliding Association (SAHPA) approached it to carry out the investigation due to the complexities and scope of the accident. “As a body responsible for investigating hang-gliding and paragliding accidents, SAHPA were initially notified of the accident.
“On 7 July 2023, SAHPA then formally requested the AIID to undertake the investigation due to the specific complexities and scope of the accident. An AIID Investigator has been dispatched to the accident site in order to collect evidence and to gather more information that will assist in defining the size as well as the scope of the investigation. Based on initial information gathered, the AIID can confirm that the DUET 2 Paraglider departed from Signal Hill, also in Cape Town, with an intent to land at the Sea Point Promenade. The reported time of the accident is 12h53pm local time. There were two on board, with a student fatally injured while the pilot sustained minor injuries. The AIID will continue to give necessary feedback pertaining to this investigation, with a preliminary report to be issued in 30 days from the day of this accident.”
Sources: National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), Cape Talk, Cape Times
According to National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon, NSRI Bakoven and Table Bay reacted to the accident opposite Sea Point High School.
Lambinon said the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) had also been alerted to the accident.
“One tandem paraglider reportedly landed safely and both the pilot and passenger were found to be not injured. A second tandem paraglider reportedly deployed a reserve parachute and is believed to have landed in the surf approximately (believed to be) 200 to 300 metres off-shore of Sea Point Promenade”, said Lambinon.
“NSRI rescue craft from NSRI Bakoven and from NSRI Table Bay, NSRI rescue swimmers, the South African Police Services, Western Cape Government Health EMS rescue squad, City of Cape Town (CoCT) Law Enforcement, Netcare 911 ambulance services and Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services responded”, he added.
“On arrival on the scene the adult male pilot of the tandem paraglider (that had reportedly deployed the reserve parachute) was safely on the shore and he was treated for minor injuries. The tandem passenger, a 58-year-old Irish man, was on rocks in the water off-shore of the Sea Point Promenade.”
“NSRI rescue swimmers and paramedics reached the man and he was freed from paragliding gear and recovered onto rocks where Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) efforts commenced. Despite extensive CPR efforts he was sadly declared deceased by paramedics.”
“The body of the man was recovered to the shoreline and taken into the care of Police and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.”
Louis Stanford, chairperson of the South African Hang-gliders and Paragliders Association, says he is in "no position to comment" since this event is currently being investigated with an inquest docket opened by local police. Stanford says, "We will have to review video footage to understand what happened".
He says that tandem companies are governed by robust frameworks and technical standards adhered to by aviation acts with a system of checks and balances and licensed instructors who come from a school that conducts these flights. Pilots take off sequentially from Signal Hill, not at the same time because there are international rules of the air which they stick to rigidly, so he is "not sure what happened".
Stanford explained that this is the first tandem passenger ever to die in South Africa adding that "it's an exceptionally rare occurrence".
The SA Civil Aviation Authority’s Accident and Incident Investigations Division (AIID) says it has been requested to investigate the paragliding accident in which 58-year-old Irish national Greig Oliver was killed along the Sea Point Promenade.
The AIID said the South African Hang-gliding and Paragliding Association (SAHPA) approached it to carry out the investigation due to the complexities and scope of the accident. “As a body responsible for investigating hang-gliding and paragliding accidents, SAHPA were initially notified of the accident.
“On 7 July 2023, SAHPA then formally requested the AIID to undertake the investigation due to the specific complexities and scope of the accident. An AIID Investigator has been dispatched to the accident site in order to collect evidence and to gather more information that will assist in defining the size as well as the scope of the investigation. Based on initial information gathered, the AIID can confirm that the DUET 2 Paraglider departed from Signal Hill, also in Cape Town, with an intent to land at the Sea Point Promenade. The reported time of the accident is 12h53pm local time. There were two on board, with a student fatally injured while the pilot sustained minor injuries. The AIID will continue to give necessary feedback pertaining to this investigation, with a preliminary report to be issued in 30 days from the day of this accident.”
Sources: National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), Cape Talk, Cape Times
