Hang Glider Accident: Milpitas hang-gliding accident leaves man dead, woman injured

A man was killed and a woman injured after a hang-gliding accident at Milpitas park.

The accident was reported around noon at Ed R. Levin County Park. Authorities said the pair were in a tandem hang-gliding flight when they crashed on Monument Peak which is located within Ed R. Levin County Park.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman he was flying with was critically injured.

Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier than air aircraft called a hang glider.

Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered with synthetic sailcloth to form a wing. Typically, the pilot is in a harness suspended from the airframe and controls the aircraft by shifting body weight in opposite to a control frame.