A Go-Pro camera captured Oliver, who was said to be “nervous and tense” before take-off screaming out “Jesus”, after the pilot quipped: “It’s going to get crazy!”
In a horrifying paragliding tragedy, former Scotland international rugby player Greg Oliver lost his life due to a pilot’s “complete disregard” for his passenger’s safety.
The 58-year-old passed away in South Africa while helping his 20-year-old son Jack and the Ireland under-20 team. When tragedy struck on July 3 of last year, the father of two, along with other rugby parents, had made the bold decision to travel to Cape Town and parachute off Signal Hill.
The disaster was deemed “avoidable” by a very critical Air Accident Investigation. According to the investigation, Oliver was subjected to a sequence of rapid, dramatic, acrobatic twists that the paragliding canopy was not intended for by the 22-year-old South African pilot.
Oliver was seen crying out “Jesus” just before takeoff on a Go-Pro camera. The pilot had earlier made the joke, “It’s going to get crazy!”
The instructor took Oliver through a series of high speed acrobatic movements that have been deemed “reckless” and “unnecessary”. Moments later the pilot, who has been assessed to have not been watching where he was going, slammed into another glider.
Their canopy collapsed, a nylon wing ripped open and a number of vital rigging lines were severed. Oliver and the pilot then plunged from 250 metres down towards the Atlantic Ocean.
The report found the instructor deployed the emergency parachute which inflated before they hit the water, and unfastened his own leash before swimming back to shore. Oliver was left stranded in his harness, unable to release himself, and submerged beneath the weight of the rigging and chute.
He was carried in the direction of rocks, where he got stuck. According to the 30-page assessment, Oliver was positioned in a way that made the collision “unsurvivable”.
“There was no indication that the instructor had retracted the wing, saved the student pilot, or helped him unclip or release his seat safety buckle,” the statement stated. After releasing his seatbelt, the flight instructor went to the shore. But the pupil was stuck between the rocks and was unable to get out.
“Moreover, he was not carrying a hook knife, which would have allowed him to cut himself free from the wing fabric and suspension lines, leaving him trapped.”
The rugby hero was taken out of his harness by the team and an NSRI lifeboat was launched. Sadly, after being taken to the shore and receiving CPR, it was determined that he had passed away there.
Since his passing eight months ago, the South African authorities have not been able to release post mortem or toxicology reports. It is uncertain what caused his formal death. Published yesterday, the report was released by the SA Civil Aviation Authority’s Accident and Incident Investigation Division.
