Paragliding
I have chosen May 12 as the beginning of the annual paragliding slaughter in the northern hemisphere, using the somewhat spooky coincidence of the paragliding deaths of
Pamela Hargett at Torrey Pines on May 12, 2012 and
Meg VanScriver at Lookout Mountain on May 12, 2013.
Here's a look at the last 8 years of world paragliding deaths to May 11 - from my list.
Note that it can take a year to get close to a reasonably complete total, so the 2017 number is probably real light.
2017 26
2016 29
2015 24
2014 35
2013 21
2012 32
2011 24
2010 27
That's the good news.
The bad news is that tomorrow things are about to get really ugly again.
One reason these numbers are higher than the numbers for hang gliders is that in stronger conditions hang gliders are fun but paragliders become uncontrollable death traps.
No accident illustrates this fact with greater poignance than Meg VanScriber's fatal accident.
From my reflective writing:
She was a hang glider pilot and mechanical engineer who had unfortunately transitioned to paragliders. Margaret Julie VanSciver had served with the Peace Corps in Tanzania, later worked with Engineers Without Borders in Rwanda for two summers, and more recently began an association with Africa Aid.
On the anniversary of Pamela Haggert's death at Torrey Pines on May 12, 2012, Meg VanScriver fell from 40 feet during a terrifying out-of-control episode. Immediately upon launching, her canopy encountered strong lift and underwent partial deflation at the tips which turned it downwind toward the mountain. The paraglider "then rolled into an inverted position with the wing underneath" the helpless woman and the entire canopy partially deflated. Van Scriver fell through, bringing the lines taut, and the canopy re-inflated.
"At this point the wing was accelerating back towards the launch and the pilot initiated a 180-degree turn, again entering the rising air. The glider again rolled right and collapsed, spinning the pilot 180-degrees back towards the hill. The pendulum action threw the pilot into the ground."
Emergency responders found her unconscious and having difficulty breathing. She was taken by emergency responders to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, where she died later that evening.Drawn from USHPA and other sources
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by Frank Colver » Thu May 04, 2017 5:45 pm 
