Asymmetric collapse

Recognise an asymmetric collapse, give the first response — keep flying the open side and stop the turn without stalling it — and prevent most collapses with active flying and room to spare.

In this lesson you will

You are soaring along the hill on a lively afternoon when the brake in your left hand goes slack and the wing swings left, towards the slope. That is an asymmetric collapse. On a school wing it usually sorts itself out, as long as you keep flying.

Collapses are by far the most common first event in paragliding accidents¹. Of 48 German paragliding deaths in 2018–2022, 13 began with an asymmetric collapse, and 7 of those became cravatte spirals². Most serious spinal injuries reported to the BHPA in 2016–2018 followed low-level asymmetric collapses³. What you do in the first few seconds matters most.

Safety-critical Never practise collapses on your own

Collapses are practised only in exercises supervised by qualified instructors or on an SIV course. This lesson is about recognising them and giving the first response.

What happens

In rough air one side of the wing loses pressure and folds under. The folded part drags and lifts less while the open part keeps flying, so the wing turns towards the collapsed side and pitches or dives forward⁴. You feel the brake on that side go slack, you tip towards it, and the view swings round.

School wings are built for this. In certification an EN-A wing must reopen by itself, turn less than 90° before it does, and dive or roll no more than 45° in a big collapse⁵. But those tests are flown in calm air with a standard harness, and real turbulence can do more⁶: even docile wings can lose 20–40 m65–130 ft in a big disturbance⁷.

On the speed bar a wing collapses more easily, and the first thing to do is release the bar⁴⁸.

Figure: A left collapse beside a hill, from behind and from above. Switch variants: just enough counter-brake stops the turn; too little lets the wing turn into the hill; too much stalls the open side. The moving stall mark is schematic.

A left collapse beside a hill, from behind and from above. Switch variants: just enough counter-brake stops the turn; too little lets the wing turn into the hill; too much stalls the open side. The moving stall mark is schematic.

First response

The manuals agree on the core: keep flying the open side, stop the turn with weight shift away from the collapse and brake on the open side, and fly away from the ground⁴⁹. Then most school-wing collapses reopen by themselves¹⁰.

Asymmetric collapse, first response

On the speed bar? Release it fully.
Why Braking an accelerated wing makes things worse⁸.
Look where you want to go, away from the hill and other pilots.
Cue Eyes on open air, not on the collapse.
Why Pilots who stare at the collapse miss the wing turning towards the slope⁹.
Lean away from the collapse, onto the open side.
Cue Your weight goes into the seat on the open side.
Why Weight shift helps stop the turn without loading the open side with brake⁴.
Brake the open side just enough to stop the turn.
Cue The view stops swinging round; the brake feels firm, not very heavy.
Why The partly folded wing is smaller, so its stall comes sooner⁴.
Fly straight and let it reopen; ease the brake as it does.
Cue The slack brake fills again.
Why Most collapses on school wings reopen without help¹⁰.
Turning and you cannot stop it, or low with a fast descent? Throw the reserve.
Why See when to throw¹¹¹².

This is the common core. Manuals differ on the very first hand movement (Gin: hands up first) and on clearing; see below, and follow your manual.

Just enough brake

A partly collapsed wing is effectively smaller, so its wing loading and stall speed are higher: the open side stalls with less brake than you are used to⁴. Too much counter-brake can stall it and start a spin the other way. You feel it coming: the brake gets very heavy, then suddenly light. Light after heavy means let that brake up at once¹³¹⁴.

Too little is the other trap: the wing keeps turning towards the collapse, towards the hill if that is where it lies⁹. Ozone covers the space in between: use enough brake to hold your direction, and if that would take you past the stall point, let the wing turn while it reopens¹⁵. That only works with room around you.

Where the sources differ

The details of the brake work, and how to clear a collapse that does not reopen, are disputed¹⁵¹⁰⁴:

Source	Counter-brake	Clearing it
DHV	Brace against the open-side riser, look ahead; brake along the riser to carabiner height at most	One strong, short pulse on the folded side, then both hands up
Gin (school wing)	Hands up first to release the brakes, then weight shift and light brake on the open side	Let it reopen by itself; smooth, progressive pumping if needed
Ozone	Enough to hold direction; if that would reach the stall point, let it turn	A long, smooth pump of about 1–2 s; short, fast pumps do not work
UP, skywalk	Careful on the open side in big collapses (skywalk)	One good long pump (UP), or repeated pumping (skywalk)

They share more than they differ: direction first, no over-braking, pumping only once the turn is under control, and most school-wing collapses reopen with no pump at all¹⁰. Learn your wing’s method with your instructor; your manual and your instructor take precedence.

Close to the hill

Low collapses are the dangerous ones. Keep your margin: the DHV’s rule is at least 50 m165 ft from the slope whenever possible, more over unfriendly ground, and the BHPA warns that scratching close in thermic air leaves no time to deal with even a partial collapse¹⁶. If a collapse at 91 m300 ft or less causes a rapid rotation or a high descent rate, the BHPA says throw at once¹².

Prevention

You cannot stop the air folding a wing, but you can make collapses rarer and smaller:

Fly actively. In active flying you keep a light, constant contact on the brakes; if one side goes soft, brake it promptly and let up as soon as the pressure returns¹⁷. See active flying.
No speed bar in turbulence or near the ground, and never brake while on it¹⁸⁸.
Fly conditions within your skill. Fatal collapses happen mostly in turbulent or thermic air¹⁹.

Myth vs fact

Myth: A school wing cannot collapse.
Fact: Every wing collapses eventually. An EN-A wing is built to recover easily, as long as you do not make it worse.

Certification is flown in calm air; real turbulence can do more²⁰⁶.

Common mistake Grabbing a handful of brake

Symptom: The open-side brake goes very heavy, then suddenly light, and the wing starts to turn the other way.
Cause: A panic pull; the partly folded wing stalls with less brake than usual.
Fix: Lean first and brake only enough to stop the turn. If the brake goes light, let it up at once⁴¹³.

Common mistake Staring at the collapse

Symptom: You look up at the collapse, and when you look down the wing is pointing at the hill.
Cause: Fixation; the wing kept turning while you watched the problem.
Fix: Direction first — eyes on open air, lean, just enough brake. Deal with the collapse once you are flying straight⁹.

Instructor's note Small collapses, and your chest strap

On a school wing a small collapse is often open again before you have done anything; the danger is over-reacting. Your harness matters too: a wide chest strap makes weight shift easier but lets you fall towards the collapsed side, while a tight one feels solid but raises the risk of riser twists after a violent collapse. Set it as your wing’s manual says²¹.

Standards differ Asymmetric collapse in the first-rating syllabus

Common ground: All expect you to know the first response, and none asks you to practise big collapses on your own. Federations recommend an SIV course once you fly in thermals²².

USHPA (USA): P2: explain (not fly) how to keep direction and correct a 25% asymmetric collapse¹⁵²³.
BHPA (UK): Club Pilot training includes instability and emergencies, collapses among them²⁴. The post-Club Pilot syllabus covers the recovery as knowledge, with awareness of the dangers of over-countering⁴²⁵.
APPI (international): APPI Pilot introduces thermal flying with attention to outside collapses²⁶.
FAI/CIVL SafePro (international reference): Stage 3 (Active Flying) includes a small asymmetric collapse, flown in tandem with an instructor²⁷²⁵.

Summarised from each body’s published material, which changes over time. Check the current official documents and follow your school.

Questions students ask

Should I pump the collapsed side straight away?

No — direction first. Most school-wing collapses reopen by themselves; pump only once the turn is under control, the way your manual describes¹⁰.

How much height will I lose?

A small collapse on a school wing may cost very little. A big disturbance can cost even docile wings 20–40 m65–130 ft, and many pilots underestimate how much a mishandled recovery uses⁷.

Will I ever practise collapses?

SafePro’s Stage 3 includes a small collapse, flown in tandem with an instructor, and federations recommend an SIV course over water once you fly in thermals²⁷²⁵²².

Key points

An asymmetric collapse turns the wing towards the collapsed side and makes it dive.
Direction first: bar off, look away from the hill, lean away from the collapse, brake the open side.
Just enough brake: the folded wing stalls sooner. Heavy, then suddenly light, means let up at once.
Most school-wing collapses reopen by themselves; pump only once the turn is under control, as your manual says.
Low, rotating and losing height: throw the reserve.
Prevent collapses with active flying, room from the slope and no speed bar in rough air.

Ground to Solo is a study aid. Paragliding is learned in person with a qualified instructor at a recognised school; nothing here certifies you to fly.