Jessamine County man dies in hang glider crash

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) – A Jessamine County man is dead after a hang gliding accident this afternoon.

The man crashed at Rosenwald Dunbar Elementary, right off Wilmore Road.

According to the Jessamine County Coroner, 56-year-old John Collins was piloting his hang glider when he had to make an emergency landing.

The coroner says he does not believe the crash was caused by mechanical issues. He says Collins did not have enough altitude to keep the glider in the air.

“There was a wind shift possible, according to a witness,” said Jessamine County Coroner Michael Hughes. “One wing dipped low and he more or less lost control and was trying to put it on the ground when he struck the dumpster.”

Hughes says he spoke with family members who say Collins was an avid pilot.

“Flying was apparently his passion and he was trying to spend the afternoon doing what he loved and it just turned into a horrible tragedy,” said Hughes.

Hughes says Collins died of blunt force trauma from hitting the dumpster. However, he says he does not know that the outcome would have been any different had the dumpster not been there.

Hughes says Collins was a father to three Jessamine County teens.

The coroner says Collin’s family has requested that an autopsy not be performed since the cause of death is already known.