SAN FRANCISCO—A man died after a hang gliding accident that occurred at San Francisco’s Fort Funston National Park on Sunday, August 23.
The man, said to have been in his 50s has not yet been identified by authorities, was paragliding alone when he crashed straight into one of the park’s cliffs.
Battalion Chief Jeff Barden told the media that witnesses claimed he did not attempt to veer off to prevent impact. After crashing into the cliff, he reportedly fell a distance of 15 feet to the ground.
Fire dispatchers in the area revealed they first received calls from bystanders at around 3:50 p.m.
Though the cause of the man’s accident has not yet been determined, officials are looking into whether the victim suffered a heart attack before crashing into the cliff. Wind conditions in the area are also being looked into as a possible factor in the crash.
Fort Funston National Park is located just south of the San Francisco Zoo. The park is a popular location for both beginners and experienced paragliders and hand gliders.
This is not the first accident involving hang gliding that has occurred in the Bay Area.
On Saturday, August 22, a man hang gliding in Daly City got caught in some telephone wires. Fire crews were successful in safely getting him down. He did not sustain any serious injuries.
In May, another paraglider was killed when they crashed into a cliff near Mussel Rock Park Beach in Daly City.
In 2010, the US Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association noted that about 2 in 1000 paragliders died in paragliding-related accidents in the United States.
