List of ski flying accidents

This is a list of accidents in ski flying with confirmed video footage.

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]

Flat-ground crashes

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Date Location Event Athlete(s) involved Description Aftermath Ref.
1 Jan 1973   Oberstdorf Ski Flying World Championships   Walter Steiner Crashed onto near-flat ground at 175 m (574 ft) and 179 m (587 ft), on separate jumps. Concussion and a fractured rib. Finished second in the event. [27][28]
16/17 Mar 1974   Planica International Ski Flying Week Crashed onto near-flat ground at 177 m (581 ft). Walked away with facial cuts. Won the event with a world record set prior to the crash.
20 Mar 2005   Planica Ski Jumping World Cup   Janne Ahonen Crashed onto near-flat ground at 240 m (790 ft), landing hard on his back and head. Stretchered away with minor injuries. Was able to attend a podium ceremony later in the event for winning the World Cup. [29]
30 Jan 2010   Oberstdorf Ski Flying World Cup   Robert Kranjec Crashed onto near-flat ground at 226 m (741 ft). Walked away unhurt. [30]
25 Feb 2012   Vikersund Ski Flying World Championships   Martin Koch Crashed onto near-flat ground at 243.5 m (799 ft) Walked away unhurt. Received bronze medal for finishing third. [31]
2 Feb 2013   Harrachov Ski Flying World Cup   Jurij Tepeš Crashed onto near-flat ground at 220 m (720 ft) Walked away unhurt. His jump remains the unofficial hill record as of 2013. [32]
15 Feb 2015   Vikersund Ski Flying World Cup   Dmitry Vassiliev Crashed onto near-flat ground at 254 m (833 ft), landing hard on his back and head. Able to walk away and compete the next day. His jump remains unofficially the longest made in the sport as of 2015. [33]
16 Mar 2016   Planica Ski Flying World Cup   Tilen Bartol Crashed onto near-flat ground at 252 m (827 ft) and almost broke his neck. Able to walk away and compete the next day. His jump remained the unofficial hill record until 2019. [34]

References

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  1. ^ Hruby, Patrick (29 April 2011). "'Wide World of Sports' crash hits home". ESPN. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Pavel Ploc - Harrachov 1980" on YouTube. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  3. ^ West, Don (late 1999). "Pictures, and a chat with Mike Holland about his World Record Ski Jump". skijumpeast.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  4. ^ Cleary, Martin (29 March 1983). "Jumper Bulau already pointing to winning crown next season" at Google News Archive. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  5. ^ "25 år siden skandalerennet" (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Pavel Ploc a Malevil Cup" (in Czech). harrachov.cz. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  7. ^ "World Ski Jumping Record - Mike Holland, Planica" on YouTube. Event occurs at time 1:59–2:29. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  8. ^ Hoff, Jørgen B. et al. (10 January 2014). "Morgenstern til sykehus etter grusomt fall i Kulm" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. Schibsted. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  9. ^ "Nordmann falt i samme bakke som Morgenstern" (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Ski Flying (and crashing) - Ski Jumping at its best (and most dangerous)" on YouTube. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  11. ^ a b Elster, Kristian (23 January 2008). "Scheies verste fall i hoppsporten" (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  12. ^ "Ski jumping, Frederic Berger crash in Planica, hit by ski" on YouTube. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  13. ^ Köckeis, Christoph (14 March 2014). "Andreas Goldberger im Interview: "Scheiße, was ist los mit der Welt"" (in German). spox.com. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  14. ^ "Frantisek Jez - Crash - Harrachov 1992" on YouTube. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  15. ^ a b Jentzsch, Uwe (21 March 1994). "Jaroslav Sakala ist neuer Flugkönig" (in German). Neues Deutschland. Neues Deutschland Druckerei und Verlags GmbH. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Arthur Khamidullin - crash - Planica 1997" on YouTube. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  17. ^ Andresen, Gorm S.; Rasmussen, John (7 December 2006). "Her lander Tommy på nesa i Vikersund-bakken" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Aller Media. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  18. ^ Lønning, Simen (23 February 2013). "Hoppsportens styggeste fall". Nettavisen. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  19. ^ "Goldbergers Rekord von Okabes Sturz überschattet" (in German). Rheinische Post. 18 March 2000. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  20. ^ Lopatič, Jaka (14 January 2014). "Kranjec po grozljivem padcu v Planici gladovno stavkal" (in Slovene). Siol. Telekom Slovenije. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  21. ^ "Sport Skijumping". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  22. ^ Hope, Nick (9 February 2014). "Sochi 2014: Thomas Morgenstern on his 'horror crash'". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  23. ^ Associated Press (13 January 2016). "Ski jumper Mueller has surgery after test ski flying crash".
  24. ^ "Kamil Stoch claims his first win this season". FIS. 3 February 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  25. ^ English commentary after Tomáš Vančura's first-round jump, from the Eurosport 1 broadcast in Planica on 24 March 2017.
  26. ^ "Daniel Andre Tande wins on the Holmenkollen, Stefan Kraft takes the Raw Air". FIS. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  27. ^ The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner. 1974.
  28. ^ Kunzru, Hari (16 April 2011). "Werner Herzog, the adventurous spirit". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  29. ^ Johannessen, Bjørn Arne (3 August 2009). "Hoppet 240 meter i bakrus" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  30. ^ "Robert Kranjec Oberstdorf 2010 226m - Fall ORF" on YouTube. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  31. ^ "Martin Koch". Getty Images. Carlyle Group. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  32. ^ "Gregor Schlierenzauer claims two victories within six hours". Fischer. 3 February 2013. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  33. ^ "A. Fannemel: "It's an incredible feeling"" Archived 2017-09-19 at the Wayback Machine. FIS. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  34. ^ Brakstad, Thomas; Schmidt, Stig Øystein (16 March 2016). "18-åring slo verdensrekorden i Planica – men falt" (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
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