Bir-Billing, India’s “paragliding capital,” attracts hundreds of Indian and foreign tourists every summer and autumn to soar over the Dhauladhar ranges, but a rising number of accidents now casts a shadow over the adventure hub.
The latest tragedy struck on Saturday when 27-year-old Canadian paraglider Megan Elizabeth Roberts went missing after her glider crash-landed in the higher reaches of the Dhauladhar ranges. Her body was recovered two days later by a rescue team that trekked up to 13,000 feet based on the coordinates she had sent via satellite phone.
“The paraglider was brought down to 10,000 feet to be airlifted after a chopper failed to land at the crash site,” Baijnath Sub-divisional Magistrate Sankalp Gautam told PTI.
“Roberts’ body will be handed over to the family members after a post-mortem at Tanda Medical College,” said additional district magistrate Shilpi Beakta, adding that an investigation would determine the cause of the crash.
According to officials, Roberts was unfamiliar with the region’s difficult topography.
Sudden weather changes and treacherous terrain are frequent hazards in the Dhauladhar range, and have contributed to several paragliding mishaps in recent years.
Over the past five years, 26 paragliding crashes have been reported in Kangra and Mandi districts, resulting in 12 deaths, including foreign nationals, and numerous injuries.
In some cases, neither the pilot nor the glider could be located.
In July, another 27-year-old tourist from Gujarat, Satish, suffered serious injuries after a tandem flight crashed in the Indru Nag area of Dharamshala. His pilot was also injured.
“The preliminary inquiry suggests that the tandem flight’s take-off was done from a site which is not notified, which is a complete violation of HP Aero-Sports Rules 2022,” said Kangra tourism development officer Vinay Dhiman. He added, “Neither this site is notified, nor was there any marshal present there. We have issued show-cause notices to both pilot and the operator.”
In January, Ahmedabad resident Bhavsar Khushi died during take-off at the same site.
Last year, a Polish paraglider stranded in the Dhauladhar hills after a mid-air collision was rescued after a failed chopper attempt due to tough terrain.
Another incident in 2024 saw 43-year-old solo paraglider Dita Misurcova, an experienced flyer from the Czech Republic, lose control of her glider near Marhi in Manali and crash fatally.
In 2019, a 37-year-old Singaporean paraglider, Li Thwang, went missing after his glider crash-landed near Multhan village in Baijnath subdivision.
The Himachal Pradesh government has been aware of the growing safety concerns.
In 2024, the Kangra deputy director of tourism asked the Paragliding Association of India to conduct an audit of the Himachal Aero Sports Rules 2022, seeking recommendations for improvement.
Efforts toward better regulation began earlier as well. In 2022, the Kangra district administration proposed developing a mobile application to ensure safe paragliding operations in Bir-Billing.
The app was intended to register pilots and operators, fix flight rates, and monitor unregistered activity.
Deputy commissioner Nipun Jindal had said at the time, “The registration of paraglider operators and pilots through the application will be necessary. A logo will be displayed on the paragliding aircraft so that people doing the adventure activity without registration can be monitored.”
Despite these efforts, the frequency of accidents shows a gap between regulation and enforcement.
Paragliding in Bir-Billing has a history as old as India’s adventure tourism industry.
The region remained relatively unknown until the early 1980s, when British enthusiasts Neil Kinnear and Keith Nichols discovered its potential for aero sports.
In 1984, the Hang-Gliding World Cup brought 43 pilots from 13 countries to Billing, establishing it as a global hub for free flight.
By the mid-1990s, paragliding replaced hang-gliding as the sport of choice, and Bir-Billing was soon recognised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), headquartered in France.
The area’s reputation soared after hosting several pre-world cup tournaments and the Paragliding World Cup in October 2015, which drew international attention.
Alongside Bandla Dhar near Bilaspur and Solang Valley near Manali, Bir-Billing became central to Himachal’s image as India’s adventure capital.
