Flight instructor charged in death of pilot Philip Haegler; footage shows moment of mid-air collision

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The images included in the investigation of the 15th DP (Gávea) — already sent to the Public Ministry — show the exact moment of the collision. Silva, who said he has been a professional hang glider pilot for 20 years, said the movement to free the student’s leg took about three seconds. When he looked ahead again, he saw the paraglider. The instructor said he tried to lift the hang glider, but still couldn’t avoid the collision, and also said Haegler was not mistaken.

Silva also told investigators that rules established by the Sport Aviation Code determine that pilots flying lower planes are given preference – which was the case for Haegler. In his statement, the instructor said that the double champion was his idol and that he had a special affection for him – with whom he learned the maneuvers –. Silva stressed that he had been extremely shaken by the accident and had sought psychological support.

The collision took place on November 20. Haegler was flying over São Conrado beach when the right side of the hang glider, which was coming in the opposite direction, collided with him. The pilot then lost control of the aerial vehicle, hit the roof of a building and fell from a height of more than ten stories.

The accident occurred on Avenida Prefeito Mendes de Morais, at number 1.500. Firefighters transported Haegler in very serious condition to the Miguel Couto Municipal Hospital, in Gávea, but he died shortly after arriving at the unit.

Philip Haegler was 59 years old and one of the most recognized names in hang gliding in Brazil, as well as a businessman. He was a two-time Brazilian hang gliding champion in 1990 and 1992 and became president of the Brazilian Confederation of Free Flight (CBVL).

Communicating the news of the death on social networks, the São Conrado de Voo Livre club highlighted Haegler as an “undisputed reference in the promotion of safety and the development of sport” in Rio de Janeiro.

The National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) also reported what happened and clarified that it does not need a license to practice gliding, paragliding or hang gliding. At the time, however, the organization recommended that practitioners of this sport — “a high-risk extreme sport, practiced all over the world and highly dependent on local weather and geographic conditions” — qualify with aerosports associations.