Aviation Sports Crashes in the Austrian Mountains: A 10-Year Retrospective Study

We aimed to describe the epidemiology and injury patterns of aviation sports crashes in the Austrian mountains and identify risk factors.

In this retrospective cohort study, out-of-hospital data on patients who sustained crashes when participating in aviation sports from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2015 were assessed. The out-of-hospital data were merged with in-hospital data obtained from Innsbruck Medical University Hospital.

A total of 2037 persons were involved in 1856 aviation sports crashes. Data on 126 in-hospital patients were available. Wind and pilot error were the most common causes. Most injuries occurred in paragliders (n=111, 88%). Most commonly, paragliders sustained injuries to the lumbar spine and hang gliders to the thoracic spine. Rescue operations were undertaken mainly by helicopter emergency medical services (n=87, 69%) or combined rescue forces (ground and helicopter, n=100, 79%.). The Injury Severity Score was 15±15, with a peak in patients with isolated injuries of the lower extremities (n=38, 32%) and a second peak in patients with multiple trauma (n=44, 35%).

In the Austrian mountains, wind and pilot errors are the most common causes of aviation crashes. Aviation sports crashes frequently resulted in severe injuries and multiple trauma. The lumbar spine is particularly at risk in paragliders, whereas the thoracic spine is commonly affected in hang gliders. Injuries frequently caused long-term paralysis and limitations in quality of life. To minimize long-term consequences and save lives, skilled and well-equipped teams may be beneficial to provide effective on-site care and safe transportation to a trauma center.