Ex-Scotland rugby player ‘left to die in sea’ af ter horror paraglider crash
A FORMER Scotland rugby international was left to die in the sea after a paragliding crash when the pilot ‘freed just himself’ and swam to safety, an official report has concluded.
Greig Oliver, 58, was trapped in his harness after the tandem paraglider flown by an instructor collided with another craft before plunging more than 800ft into the sea off the coast of South Africa.
The 22-year-old pilot – who had been carrying out ‘reckless and unsafe’ acrobatic manoeuvres during the pleasure flight in July last year – made no effort to save his passenger after the craft hit the water.
Mr Oliver, a former Scotland and Hawick scrum-half, was strapped into his seat and was swamped by the weight of the chute and its rigging as he was swept onto rocks on the shoreline.
The father of two, who lived in Limerick, Ireland, was pulled from the water by swimmers from a lifeboat sent to the scene, but he could not be saved.
Yesterday, a damning air accident report concluded that the unnamed flight instructor of the aircraft – referred to as Paraglider 1 – had lost control and struck a second paraglider.
He then made no attempt to rescue Mr Oliver or help him unclip his safety belt.
The report, issued by the South African Civil Aviation Authority, stated: ‘Paraglider 1 flight instructor displayed a total disregard for the safe operation of a paraglider and displayed poor airmanship and did not adhere to procedures.’
The second paraglider landed safely but Mr Oliver and his instructor fell into the water off Rocklands Beach in Cape Town.
The flight was captured on the pilot’s GoPro camera, which showed the Duet Pro paraglider performing acrobatic stunts which it was not designed to carry out.
It recorded the pilot shouting ‘it’s going to get crazy’ moments before Mr Oliver cried out ‘Jesus’ in panic.
Mr Oliver had been in South Africa with his wife Fiona to watch their son Jack, 20, play for Ireland at the World Rugby U20 Championship. He paid £75 for the 15-minute paraglider flight.
The report stated that the manoeuvres performed by the instructor were ‘reckless and unsafe’. It added that both men were still strapped into their seats when the craft hit the water and the situation became ‘unsurvivable’ for Mr Oliver.
It continued: ‘There was no evidence of the instructor retracting the wing or rescuing the student pilot or assisting him to unclip or release his seat safety buckle. The flight instructor unclipped himself from the seat harness and swam to the shore.
‘However, the student was caught between the rocks and could not free himself.
‘Additionally he was not in possession of a hook knife that would have enabled him to cut himself free from the suspension lines and wing fabric and he remained trapped. He was declared fatally injured at the accident scene.’
South African police will decide whether an inquest should be held.
Louis Stanford, chairman of the South African Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, said: ‘What happened was a tragedy. With regard to civil or criminal charges or litigation, that is not a matter for us and I would suspect those decisions would come after an inquest held by a coroner.’
‘It’s going to get crazy’