Paragliding association backs compulsory registration after self-taught pilot’s crash

Hong Kong’s paragliding association has said it is open to compulsory registration amid mounting safety concerns after a self-taught pilot injured three hikers, with a sports expert calling for mandatory safety requirements to regulate the activity.

Simon Chan Siu-ming, executive secretary of the Hong Kong China Paragliding Association, said fellow enthusiasts had known about the pilot and his lack of proper training about nine months before Sunday’s accident and had urged him to seek professional instruction.

“Even if it becomes compulsory, we are very open to it, provided it brings positive changes for the sport and everyone’s safety,” Chan told a radio programme on Tuesday, referring to real-name registration.

Three hikers were struck by a landing paraglider at the Ngong Ping campsite in Ma On Shan Country Park at about 12.30pm on Sunday.

A 42-year-old woman suffered a head injury, her 14-year-old son reported back pain, and a 15-year-old boy sustained minor injuries to his head and fingers. All three were airlifted to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai.

The pilot, 50, had been teaching himself since January, a source told the South China Morning Post. He was taken to Ma On Shan Police Station to assist with inquiries. Initial investigations found no criminal element.

Chan said he visited the site after the accident and spoke to the man, who had received no formal training.

Several paragliders had previously approached him after observing incorrect handling techniques. He told them he had learned through online videos, Chan said.

Formal instruction repeatedly covered assessing wind direction and speed, landing safely and avoiding crowds, he said.

Videos could demonstrate movements but offered no instructor to correct mistakes or identify overlooked risks.

Chan said beginners generally needed about three months of training, depending on their progress and the weather, before flying under an instructor’s guidance.

The association would welcome government consideration of bringing recreational flying under a registration or licensing system, he said, but any changes should involve industry consultation and preserve opportunities for leisure flying.

The activity currently has a voluntary real-name registration scheme, which was introduced by the Civil Aviation Department in October 2023.

Participating paragliding associations collect pilots’ personal details, qualifications and equipment information through dedicated platforms.

The associations maintain and update the registers, provide summaries to the department on request, and distribute labels bearing registration numbers for pilots to display on their equipment, such as helmets.

Lobo Louie Hung-tak, a senior lecturer of health and physical education at the Education University of Hong Kong, said authorities should introduce mandatory safeguards because pilots’ abilities affected the safety of other people sharing the space.

“You have to assess the operator’s own ability, because other people’s safety is involved,” he said.

Louie said from a sports science perspective, learning to control equipment required time, coordination and experience responding to changing surroundings. Individuals also acquired such skills at different speeds.

He compared this with driving, where learning to operate a vehicle alone did not establish a person’s ability to navigate safely among other road users.

Louie suggested a task force led by the Civil Aviation Department, with input from departments responsible for country parks, recreation and weather information, to consider training, terrain and flying conditions.

The department’s published list of permit holders for paid paragliding services names five individuals or companies, covering nine instructors or pilots offering tandem or instructional flights. Those permits are separate from the voluntary registration scheme for pilots.

The department previously said it had followed up on Sunday’s accident with law enforcement agencies and paragliding organisations, and urged beginners to receive proper training.

The SCMP has reached out to the Civil Aviation Department for comment on compulsory registration, training requirements and whether it had received earlier safety reports concerning the pilot.