List of ski flying accidents

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Date Location Event Athlete(s) involved Description Aftermath Ref. 7 Mar 1970 West Germany Oberstdorf International Ski Flying Week Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vinko Bogataj Lost balance while descending the inrun, causing him to tumble wildly off the side directly in front of a group of spectators. No head protection was worn during this era. Concussion and broken ankle for Bogataj, who continued his career for a short while longer. His accident was broadcast to American audiences on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, representing “The Agony of Defeat”. [1] 28/29 Mar 1980 Czechoslovakia Harrachov Ski Jumping World Cup Czechoslovakia Pavel Ploc Crashed heavily from a height of 9 m (30 ft) onto the slope. Recovered and later set a world record at the same venue in 1983. [2] 1 Jan 1983 Ski Flying World Championships Canada Horst Bulau
Norway Steinar Bråten
East Germany Jens Weißflog All three crashed at various stages of the event, similarly to Ploc in 1980. Inrun speed for Bråten was 115.2 km/h (71.6 mph). Concussion for Bulau, who nonetheless finished second in that season’s World Cup standings. Bråten recovered well enough to score his lone career win later in the season. Weißflog would go on to become one of the all-time greats in ski jumping. [3][4]
[5] 23 Feb 1985 Ski Jumping World Cup Czechoslovakia Pavel Ploc Crashed and somersaulted violently down the hill. Escaped without major injury. Was able to claim bronze in the 1985 Ski Flying World Championships in Planica, less than a month later. [6] 15 Mar 1985 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Planica Ski Flying World Championships United States Mark Konopacke Lost pressure under one ski and crashed from a height of 3 m (9.8 ft) [7] 9 Mar 1986 Austria Kulm Ski Flying World Championships Japan Masahiro Akimoto
East Germany Ulf Findeisen
Norway Rolf Åge Berg All three suffered brutal crashes, falling from a height of 9 m due to dangerous wind conditions. Fractured ankle, chest and shoulder injuries for Akimoto. Cardiac arrest for Findeisen, who survived and continued a relatively successful career. Concussion and a broken cruciate ligament for Berg, whose injuries were career-ending. [8][9]
[10] 14/15 Mar 1987 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Planica Ski Jumping World Cup Norway Robert Selbekk-Hansen Crashed face-first from a height of 9 m after clearing the knoll. Went on to become a sports trainer. [11] France Frédéric Berger Fell from a height of 9 m after clearing the knoll, landing on his back. Having slid all the way down the hill, one of his skis (which had come loose and flown up high into the air) came down hard and hit him in the back. Continued his career until 1988. [12] 22 Mar 1992 Czechoslovakia Harrachov Ski Flying World Championships Austria Andreas Goldberger Fell from a height of 9 m and crashed very hard due to dangerous wind conditions. Inrun speed was 107.4 km/h (66.7 mph). Broken arm and collarbone. Finished second in the event standings (the second day of which was cancelled) and enjoyed much success in a lengthy career. [13] Czechoslovakia František Jež Crashed similarly to Goldberger. Inrun speed was 106.7 km/h (66.3 mph). Able to walk away with some help. [14] 20 Mar 1994 Slovenia Planica Ski Flying World Championships Japan Jinya Nishikata Lost control after takeoff due to strong winds, falling face-first onto the slope and sliding down violently. Inrun speed was 101.4 km/h (63.0 mph). Stretchered away with a dislocated shoulder. Continued his career until 2001. [15] Sweden Johan Rasmussen Crashed violently after takeoff. Inrun speed was 103.5 km/h (64.3 mph). Stretchered away and continued his career until 1996. [15] 23 Mar 1997 Slovenia Planica Ski Flying World Cup Russia Arthur Khamidulin Ski flying debut. Lost control during landing, flipping over head-first past the outrun. Inrun speed was 100.3 km/h (62.3 mph). Stretchered away and continued his career until a second crash in Vikersund, in 2000. [16] 28 Feb 1998 Norway Vikersund Ski Flying World Cup Norway Tommy Egeberg Crashed at the top of the hill. Aged just 16, this was his first time at attempting ski flying. Event was cancelled. Egeberg hospitalised overnight with a broken nose and light concussion, but continued his career until 2006. [17] 18 Mar 1999 Slovenia Planica Ski Flying World Cup Russia Valery Kobelev Lost pressure under one ski and crashed head-first onto the hill, sliding unconscious down the slope. Inrun speed was 104.7 km/h (65.1 mph). Induced coma for several months. Recovered well enough to continue his career until 2006. [11] 14 Feb 2000 Norway Vikersund Ski Flying World Championships Russia Arthur Khamidulin Crashed near the knoll and was knocked out, losing his helmet and sliding down unconscious the rest of the way. Concussion. Never competed in the sport again. [18] 19 Mar 2000 Slovenia Planica Ski Flying World Cup Japan Takanobu Okabe Lost pressure under one ski and crashed very similarly to Kobelev in 1999. Inrun speed was 100 km/h (62 mph). Concussion and bruising. Returned in the following season and continued in the sport for almost another decade with some success. [19] 16 Mar 2001 Ski Flying World Cup Slovenia Robert Kranjec Crashed near the top of the hill, somersaulting violently down the slope. Returned in the following season to continue a successful career, retiring in 2019. [20] 22 Mar 2002 Ski Jumping World Cup Poland Tomasz Pochwała Crashed similarly to Kranjec in 2001. Inrun speed was 105.1 km/h (65.3 mph). Returned in the following season. Later switched to Nordic combined. [21] 10 Jan 2014 Austria Kulm Ski Flying World Cup Austria Thomas Morgenstern Lost pressure under one ski and crashed after clearing the knoll, landing on his head and back from a height of 6 m (20 ft). Inrun speed was 100.4 km/h (62.4 mph). Recovered well enough win a silver medal with the Austrian national team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, but retired at the end of the season. [22] 13 Jan 2016 Ski Flying World Championships Austria Lukas Müller Crashed during a training round prior to the event in heavy snow and fog, landing on his back after a ski binding came loose in mid-air. Hospitalised with career-ending spinal injuries. [23] 3 Feb 2019 Germany Oberstdorf Ski Flying World Cup Czech Republic Tomáš Vančura Lost pressure under one ski and crashed from a height of 6 m. Inrun speed was 100.5 km/h (62.4 mph). Walked away unhurt. [24][25] 25 Mar 2021 Slovenia Planica Ski Flying World Cup Norway Daniel-André Tande Lost pressure under one ski after clearing the knoll and crashed from a height of 6 m. Inrun speed was 102.6 km/h (63.8 mph). Induced coma, broken collarbone. Made a full recovery and won a competition in the following season. [26]