Coupe Icare 2026 Ends in Tragedy: Tandem Hang Glider Crash Claims Two Lives

The 2026 Coupe Icare concluded in devastating circumstances on Sunday, September 20, when a tandem hang glider crashed moments after takeoff, claiming the lives of both the pilot and passenger.

The pilot has been identified as Rhal Ssan, a 29-year-old British national residing permanently in France. The passenger was named by French press as Nadège Chiffot, 45, from Chauffailles in Saône-et-Loire.

Rhal was a London-born BBC-trained journalist who had built a career at Euronews in Lyon and worked as an English instructor in Grenoble. He was a familiar face at the Coupe Icare, having volunteered at the festival for seven consecutive years. Nadège was reportedly a trainee hang glider pilot.

The incident occurred at approximately 8am during an early morning top-to-bottom flight session, an event highlight where hang glider and paraglider pilots share the skies with hot-air balloons ascending from the valley below.

This coordinated “balloon flight” requires pre-registration, with a flight director and launch marshals overseeing operations. Paraglider pilots departed from the South Launch at 960m, while hang gliders used a dedicated ramp roughly 1km southwest at around 1,000m elevation.

Conditions at the time were described as calm — nil wind with a slight tail breeze, clear visibility, and no thermic activity. Several hang gliders and roughly 10 paragliders had already launched without incident.

According to festival organisers, the tandem hang glider went down almost immediately after leaving the ramp. “They took off and hit the cliff three seconds later,” a spokesperson stated.

The aircraft struck a sheer limestone cliff face. Although the reserve parachute was deployed, the wreckage came to rest on a ledge several hundred feet below the launch point.

Both launch sites were immediately shut down. A red X marked the landing zone, and a red smoke flare was released — the universal signal for “Danger – Fly Away.” Hot-air balloons descended promptly to clear airspace for the incoming emergency helicopter, which reached the crash site around 8:45am.

“Once they got on the cliff — and it is a really remote area — they could only see that nothing could be done,” a Coupe Icare representative confirmed.

In the aftermath, the festival’s signature masquerade flight was cancelled. A select few fancy-dress pilots were permitted to fly wearing black armbands. The Coupe Icare president addressed attendees at 1pm, followed by a minute of silence honouring the two victims. At 3pm, approximately 15 speed flyers and one paraglider completed a tribute flight — a “vol d’hommage” — bringing the 2026 edition to a somber close.

The Grenoble public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation, with the Isère PGHM (Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne) leading the inquiry to determine the precise circumstances of the crash.

The Coupe Icare, now in its 50th year, is the world’s largest free-flight festival. Held annually in St Hilaire du Touvet in the Grenoble Valley, it celebrates all forms of unpowered flight — paragliding, hang gliding, paramotoring, and more. The event is overseen by the FFVL, France’s free-flight federation, which registers approximately 35,000 paraglider pilots and around 600 hang glider pilots nationwide.

Our thoughts go out to the families and friends of Rhal and Nadège. If you’re heading to a festival or planning your next flying adventure, make sure your gear is organised and protected — a durable Fast Pack Bag or Concertina Bag can help keep your equipment safe in transit. Fly safe, fly prepared.