Champion hang-glider dead after midair collision with paraglider, building crash plunges him 11 stories
A 59‑year‑old hang-glider champion from Brazil has died after a freak midair collision in Rio de Janeiro. Philip Eric Ha‑egler, who won the national title twice, was flying near the end of his flight when he hit a paraglider. The impact knocked him off course, sent him crashing into a building, and then he fell 11 stories to the ground.
Emergency crews arrived quickly but could not revive Ha‑egler. Police investigators suggest strong wind may have helped trigger the crash, but they also point to the collision as the immediate cause. “We had a collision … which led to this incident,” said Bruno Menescal, president of the São Conrado Free Flight Club, in a statement to local media.
Ha‑egler was a well‑known figure in Brazil’s hang‑gliding community. He was close friends with Pedro Paulo Guise Carneiro Lopes, another celebrated Brazilian hang‑glider who lost his life in a tournament in Japan. The incident has shocked the sport’s community and prompted calls for tighter safety checks on high‑wind days.
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