Two motorgliders cheat death after crash in Worcestershire.

Apr 23 2010 by Paul Suart, Birmingham Mail

TWO men who cheated death after their motorglider hurtled into overhead power cables while they attempted a tandem jump should never have been allowed to fly, a gliding official has claimed.

One of the men, aged in his 30s, broke his leg when the motorised glider struck electricity wires suspended above a field in Finstall, near Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, on Wednesday night.

He also suffered neck injuries and was airlifted to Selly Oak Hospital.

The second man, also in his 30s, was taken to Alexandra Hospital in Redditch for chest and back pains.

The incident shortly after 8pm affected power supplies in the area for three hours.

Now Dave Thompson, from the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA), has revealed that he has been asked by West Mercia Police to investigate the accident.

And he said that his group does not sanction tandem motorgliding as a discipline because it is “too dangerous”.

Mr Thompson said: “We don’t acknowledge tandem motorgliding because we think it’s too dangerous and won’t be implemented until there’s a safer way of doing it.

“These guys were not members of our organisation. They were very lucky not to have suffered more serious injuries.”

The latest figures from BHGPA show there were 54 gliding accidents in 2008 which caused injuries compared with 86 the previous year.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews at the scene said both men had been extremely lucky not to have suffered more serious injuries.

“It’s not clear why the parachute, which has a propeller at the back, came down where it did.

“One of the casualties dragged himself out of his harnass while his companion was helped out by a passer by.’’

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: “An investigation is now being carried out by the BHPA.”