Hang gliders killed when ‘bird’s-eye view’ of mountain ends in crash, GA cops say

Two people were killed when a hang glider suddenly plummeted down the side of a North Georgia mountain, according to investigators.

It happened Tuesday, Sept. 30, at Lookout Mountain Flight Park in Rising Fawn, Dade County Emergency Management said in a news release.

“Dade County E911 received a call of two subjects that where flying tandem on a hang glider crashed just after they launched off Lookout Mountain,” Dade County Emergency Management said in the news release.

“As team members repelled down the mountain, other teams hiked up the mountain from a private roadway. On arrival first responders determined both subjects on the hang glider had passed away from traumatic injuries.”

Due to “extreme conditions” the Georgia Department of Natural Resources was called to assist with recovering the bodies, officials said.

The operator of the hang glider was identified as Richard Westmoreland, 37, and his passenger was a man, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Both “were professional flyers and had flown all over the world,” the news outlet reported.

An investigation is underway into why the hang glider fell shortly after being launched from a pad at the Flight Park, officials said.

Details of how far they fell were not released, but the park’s tandem flights (two people flying together) include 1,500 and 3,000-foot options, according to Flylookout.com.

The park stands at the edge of a mountain ridge, and it promotes “a bird’s eye view of beautiful Lookout Mountain and the surrounding valleys.”

“Hang gliding and Paragliding are aerodynamic wings that can be foot-launched from a ramp or cliff and are used to soar through the air in elongated flight,” Lookout Mountain Flight Park reports on its website.

“Skilled pilots can find lift and soar for hours with the ‘locals’ like red tail haws and eagles.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Hang gliders killed when ‘bird’s-eye view’ of mountain ends in crash, GA cops say."