Hang-glider died after 10-year coma

The pilot suffered massive head injuries in the crash

A hang-gliding enthusiast died after failing to wake from a 10-year coma following a mid-air collision in south Wales, an inquest has heard.

Helen Davis, 26, who was living in London, had only held her licence for a year when the fatal flight happened above Merthyr Tydfil in August 1990.

The advice on the day given to her was to take off, do a few beats and land. She'd started to soar and shouted down something about the congestion

Accident investigator William Morris

Her glider smashed into a paraglider in a popular flying spot while travelling at up to 40mph.

The aircraft plummeted to the ground, crashing onto rocks and Ms Davis suffered massive head injuries.

North Hampshire Coroner Andrew Bradley was told that Helen - who described gliding as "the most amazing thing" - had ignored flying advice on the day.

The hearing was told that bad weather conditions had held up a large group of other hang-gliders and paragliders from taking off over the valley.

Weather 'not suitable'

And, when the weather picked up, they all took to the air, crowding the skies.

Describing the accident, William Morris - an accident investigator for the British Hang-gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA) - said: "The whole weather that day wouldn't have been suitable for flying. To start with there was quite a gathering at the top of the hill at around 4.30pm.

"Then the pilots took off when the wind increased. The flying condition suddenly dropped again and the lift band became smaller and the congestion became greater.

"This was when the mid-air collision happened."

She was doing what she wanted to do and was so excited. It was such a fixation and she would not have wanted to be doing anything else. It was her pleasure and her sport

Elaine Durant, mother of the victim

Mr Morris told the inquest that the hang-glider had hit the paraglider head-on.

The paraglider then hung around until it broke its line and was able to break free, allowing pilot Malcolm Arthur to fall to the ground and suffer nothing more than bruising.

The hang-glider lost all flying speed, pitched down and began to dive severely.

Mr Morris said the aircraft started to recover, but it was too late.

'Passing manoeuvre'

"The paraglider was aware of Miss Davis at the time but in a matter of seconds it would have all been over with," he said.

He suggested that Miss Davis may have been distracted by watching another aircraft in the sky and suggested that she may have been "overtaking or carrying out a passing manoeuvre" when the tragedy happened.

He added: "The advice on the day given to her was to take off, do a few beats and land. She'd started to soar and shouted down something about the congestion. She chose not to do this."

A post mortem examination revealed that Miss Davis died from brain damage on February 4 this year at the Le Court Home in Greatham, near Alton, Hants.

Pneumonia

She never recovered consciousness and her family suffered a traumatic 10 years as they "prayed and hoped" their daughter would recover from her injuries.

A bout of pneumonia finally caused her death, the inquest heard.

In a letter to the coroner, Miss Davis's mother Elaine Durant said: "She was doing what she wanted to do and was so excited. It was such a fixation and she would not have wanted to be doing anything else. It was her pleasure and her sport."

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Bradley said: "Miss Davis' death was an immediate consequence of her crash.

"Having left the ridge she was flying quite normally in conditions not ideal and came into collision with another aircraft."