Drama in the sky: paragliders fall into the Salzach!

Drama in the sky: paragliders fall into the Salzach!

Bramberg im Salzburger Pinzgau, Österreich - On June 11, 2025, a tragic incident occurred in Bramberg in Salzburg Pinzgau when two paragliders plunged into the Salzach due to strong wind currents. The women concerned are a 45-year-old paraglider and a 35-year-old flight student who were part of a training group from Germany. During a training flight, they got off their planned route and were recorded by the violent winds.

After the crash, both women drove several hundred meters downstream before they could be saved by other flight students. The injuries to the two pilots are indefinite, but one of the pilot suffered a strong hypothermia. She was transported to the St. Johann district hospital in Tyrol with a rescue helicopter. The exact circumstances led to this incident are currently being examined.

another tragic crash

On this devastating day there was also a fatal paraglidue crash in Mühlbach am Hochkönig, where a 46-year-old local alpinist wanted to start with his parag leaders after a successful ascent. Despite good conditions and excellent perspective, part of the umbrella turned when lifting, which led to a crash about 100 meters below the summit. His companions watched the problems in the air, but they couldn't make up exactly where their friend had crashed.

The rescue helicopters of organizations Martin 1 and the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Libelle Carinthia were looking for in the steep terrain, but the view was severely restricted by rising clouds. Finally, the accident, located in a steep gutter, could only be recovered dead. The investigation into the cause of the accident is running.

risks of paragliding flies

paragliding is an exciting, extreme sport that conveys both adventure and serenity. However, as the incidents impressively show, this sport also carries considerable risks. Statistics show that the death rate in paragliding is around 11,000 flights, while the injury rate is about 1 out of 1,000 flights. For comparison: skydiving has a death rate of 1 of 167,000 and kite fly 1 of 560 flights.

The main causes of accidents include equipment failures, unexpected weather conditions and pilot errors. Comprehensive training, regular maintenance of the equipment and understanding of the weather conditions are crucial for security in paragliding. In order to minimize the risks, pilots should definitely fly in a group and continuously work on their skills.

The tragic falls illustrate the need to take the dangers of paragliding and prepare intensively on it to avoid accidents.

For more information about this incident, please visit vienna.at , Today.at as well as bergstrassen-bild.de .