Explainer | Paragliding in Hong Kong: what you should know after man dies flying in poor weather
- The Post looks at sport’s risks, regulation and safety practices after experienced paraglider dies earlier this week
The man, reportedly with years of paragliding experience, took off from eastern Sunset Peak, the city’s third-highest mountain, on Monday afternoon.
But he was said to have lost his way in foggy weather and could not be contacted later.
The Post looks at the risks, safety practices and regulation of the sport in the city.
1. What do paragliders think of the incident?
Krishna Rajbhandari, an ex-Gurkha with more than a decade of paragliding experience, described it as unfortunate.
“I knew the person quite well and he was experienced. I don’t understand why he chose to fly in adverse weather,” he said.
“Hong Kong is already a safe place for paragliding if people follow the right practices of being in the air and landing, and being updated with the weather.”
Rajbhandari urged paragliders “to always check and follow the weather forecast. These are the normal procedures or steps when preparing to fly”.
2. Are paragliding accidents common?
According to the Fire Services Department, 1,934 mountain rescue operations, including paragliding rescue missions, were conducted from 2022 to May this year. Of these, 1,136 cases involved injuries and 42 resulted in death.
The Hong Kong China Paragliding Association (HKPA) recorded 192 voluntarily reported accidents since 2009.
The Air Accident Investigation Authority reported and looked into three fatal paragliding accidents over the past six years.
On July 22, 2018, a 41-year-old paraglider was reported missing after flying from a South Lantau West take-off site with four paraglider pilots.
The paraglider was found unconscious five days later on the southern slope of Sunset Peak, 1km (0.6 miles) away from where he took off. The pilot was immediately sent to hospital but was later declared dead.
Investigations found that he was likely to have lost control amid rapidly deteriorating weather.
On December 23, 2021, a 74-year-old paraglider who obtained a Novice Paragliding Rating took off from Shek O but crashed into an area of bushes and was stranded on the hillside after. The Government Flying Service transported him to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
On February 15, 2023, a paraglider with five hours of flying experience took off from Lung Kei Shan, landed short of the beach site and drowned. He was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.
3. How is the activity regulated?
The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) is responsible for licensing regulation, inspection and monitoring of the safety and standards of paragliding, while the HKPA is the national sports body representing paragliding in the city.
Anyone undertaking paragliding activities, from novices to instructors, must first obtain a HKPA paragliding rating by completing tests for their requisite level.
According to aviation authorities, those wanting to provide hire or reward services must obtain licenses from the CAD. There are currently five licensed paragliding coaches and organisations who can provide paragliding services and activities for payment.
Of the 192 voluntarily reported accidents recorded by the HKPA since 2009, eight involved unlicensed instructors.
People or organisations who offer paragliding services without the relevant licence can be fined a maximum of HK$5 million (US$640,000) and face up to two years’ imprisonment.
4. How many flying sites are there?
According to the CAD, flying sites for paragliding activities are restricted to eight areas, namely Long Ke Wan, Ma On Shan, Pak Tam Au, Pat Sin Leng, Sai Wan, Shek O, South Lantau West and South Lantau East. The latter was where the missing paraglider found on Monday had taken off from.
He was last seen being blown in the direction of Pui O, east of the take-off point.
The landing zone designated for paragliders from South Lantau East is Lower Cheung Sha beach, south of the take-off point.
5. What are some guidelines and tips?
Paragliding activities should only be conducted during daylight hours and when the weather was good, the CAD said. Paragliders should also stay away from clouds and ensure the ground beneath them was visible.
Each flying site has different requirements for a pilot rating and some higher-level sites may only be attempted with a prior briefing.
HKPA regulations prohibit paragliders from flying in gale force 5 winds or higher, in which wind speeds exceed 31km/h (19mph). Therefore, risk assessments of weather and site conditions should be conducted ahead of flights.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the mean wind speed when the paraglider took off on Monday reached force 4, or 25km/h. The HKPA recommends people paraglide in that area within wind forces 2 and 3, or 7km/h to 19km/h.
Since the city’s flying sites are all close to the sea, paragliders are advised to be proficient in the emergency procedures of unexpected water landings. They should consider wearing life jackets with a high level of buoyancy.
The equipment for flight should meet the minimum required safety standards, including an airworthy paraglider and harness, certified helmet, reserve parachute and walkie-talkie set tuned to the HKPA’s local safety frequency.
The CAD recommended that pilots carry geolocation tracking devices, or use the police HKSOS app which shared real-time location information that could help in search and rescue operations in the event of an emergency.
Paragliders in mid-flight should also land immediately if the weather deteriorated, the department added.
