Pilot of hang glider who died in Hope, B.C. crash identified

HOPE, B.C. – A Hope, B.C. man injured in a hang-gliding crash last week has died, the B.C. Coroner’s Service says.

Last Monday, 38-year-old Richard Wood was flying his glider from Cooper’s Launch near Lumby when he crashed during landing.

Wood suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Kelowna General Hospital, where he died Friday, a news release from the coroners’ service says.

He is the third person to perish in a gliding accident in the province in recent weeks.

In late April, Lenami Godinez-Avila died after falling from a glider mid-flight, and on June 7, Barry Kleiter perished in a powered para-glider accident.

The Coroner’s Service said all three deaths are still under investigation.