Emberger Alm

Paragliding & hang gliding: Two pilots crashed

Paragliders hover between heaven and earth, sometimes, as with everything in life, incidents occur, as was the case on Wednesday on the Emberger Alm (symbolic image)

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Numerous pilots were able to enjoy the view, the wind and life on the Emberger Alm, where hang-gliding championships were also held. However, two Germans had to be taken to hospital.

At around midday, a 36-year-old German took off with his paraglider from the Emberger Alm in the municipality of Berg im Drautal for a leisure flight over Lienz, through the Mölltal valley, to Villach and back to Greifenburg.

When the man wanted to cross the ridge of the Schwanspitz in the municipality of Flattach - at around 2680 meters above sea level - at a low altitude in a northerly direction, his paraglider collapsed; this was probably caused by a sudden drop in the mountain wind.

The 36-year-old crashed from a height of around 20 meters and lay injured a few meters south of the summit.

Another paraglider pilot, who had witnessed the accident, used his cell phone to set the rescue chain in motion. Due to the impassable terrain, the police helicopter and the C7 rescue helicopter were used to search for the casualty. The seriously injured man was rescued using a rope and flown to Klagenfurt Hospital.

Emergency landing in a field
Also on the Emberger Alm and also on Wednesday, a 25-year-old German woman took off with her hang glider for a leisure flight into the valley to Greifenburg. The international hang gliding championships were being held on the Alm.

On the approach to the landing site in Greifenburg, she had to land in a nearby field with tall grass, presumably due to a flight error. The young woman struck the ground with the tip of her hang glider and suffered injuries of indeterminate severity.

A doctor who happened to be present administered first aid to the 25-year-old. She was then taken to Spittal an der Drau Hospital by the ambulance service.