Well-known paraglider Jean-Jacques Wallis was killed in an accident on Lion’s Head, Cape Town, on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old had more than two decades of experience in a range of air sports, including paragliding, base jumping, skydiving and wingsuit flying. In September he won a gold medal at the World Wingsuit League.
The South African Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association said it is liaising with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to establish the circumstances surrounding the accident.
“The pilot was flying a Flare Moustache parakite, a new, highly responsive hybrid wing designed for strong-wind coastal soaring and speed-focused flying,” the association’s Louis Stanford said. “Though considered part of the paragliding family in regulatory terms, parakites handle differently from the larger wings used in conventional paragliding training or tandem operations.”
Stanford asked pilots and witnesses to share video, photographic or other evidence with them or the CAA’s accident and incident investigation division. All information about the accident will be handled confidentially and used only to improve aviation safety, he said.
“Civil aviation regulations protect individuals who make reports under the principles of a ‘just culture’ — a safety philosophy that encourages open and honest reporting of mistakes or hazards without fear of punishment. The aim is to learn from accidents and prevent future occurrences, not to assign blame."
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