Paraglider falls 150ft to death after being clipped by hang glider in mid-air

This is the terrifying moment a man plummeted to his death after his paraglider collided with a hang glider in mid-air.

Philip Eric Haegler, 59, spiralled into a deadly fall when the hang glider clipped the wing of his paraglider in Sao Conrado, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 20.

A flight instructor has been indicted for culpable homicide over the death of the pilot and businessman, who was two days away from his 60th birthday when the collision occured.

Reports said the case has been sent to prosecutors who will decide whether to bring charges to court.

Police reportedly concluded that the instructor, Sergio Manoel da Silva, acted with ‘negligence’, ‘inattention’ and failed to follow sporting flight safety rules.

Manoel Da Silva told officers he was flying with a student when he became distracted as he approached the landing area.

He said he looked down to release the student’s leg strap in a standard manoeuvre and lost sight of Philip’s paraglider for about three seconds.

Manoel da Silva said that when he looked forward again he was startled to see Philip approaching from the opposite direction and slightly below.

He said he attempted a sudden movement but could not avoid the collision.

The footage shows Mr Haegler’s paraglider approaching quickly from the opposite direction, just beneath the instructor’s hang glider.

It also shows parts of the equipment and the pilot’s body striking the paraglider before the canopy tangles and Mr Haegler, a two-time Brazilian free-flight champion, loses control.

The victim then hit the facade of a building on Avenida Prefeito Mendes de Morais around the 11th floor before plunging about 45 metres (148ft).

Manoel da Silva reportedly told police the lower pilot has priority under sporting aviation rules and that Mr Haegler had the right of way.

He insisted Mr Haegler made no mistake and said the crash was caused by a split-second lapse.

Manoel da Silva told officers he admired Philip and described him as an idol he had learned from.

He also said he was seeking psychological support while remaining available to investigators.

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