Two people die in tragic hang glider accident as onlookers watch on in horror

Two people died after their hang glider plunged back down to earth in smoke as onlookers watched on in horror.

Tourist Anna Kozyreva, 43, and her the instructor, who has not been identified, were out enjoying the mountains in the Adygea region when suddenly the gliders fell to the ground 'like a stone' in Russia yesterday.

The woman had paid for a flight to visit the stunning mountains but her dream experience went tragically wrong when she and her instructor fell from the sky at frightening speeds.

The Russian Investigative Committee have said the pilot did not have a licence to fly or the right to offer paid services.

According to experts, there was a wing problem on the motorised glider which caused smoke to arise from the hang glider as the pair plummeted to their deaths.

Video and pictures capture the moment the hang gliders fall to the ground whilst a fire broke out in the wreckage.

Tragically the pair were pronounced dead after they plummeted to the ground (social media/e2w)

Parents and children were left to look on in horror as the pilot and passenger were seen crashing to the ground (social media/e2w)

In the grim video onlookers can be heard crying and screaming as the out of control hang glider crashes before their eyes.

Emergency crews were dispatched to the crash in the Maykop district of Adygea republic in southern Russia.

The unnamed pilot, 48, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation into the crash is underway but, according to reports, there was a suspected 'deformed wing' which led to the pair crashing.

Onlookers are left stunned as a tourist and her pilot plunge to their deaths (social media/e2w)

The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement: "The pilot of the aircraft had no licence to fly it and no right to provide paid services.

“According to preliminary information, the crash was caused by a [wing] fracture, after which the aircraft fell into a gorge.

“The pilot and his passenger were killed.”

According to official UK figures the chances of dying in a hang-gliding incident is about one in 116,000 flights.

The data shows it is more risky than driving a car or even scuba diving.

Earlier this year a British man from Suffolk died near Mendlesham Airstrip after a tragic hang gliding accident.

Marc Asquith, chairman of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, said at the time: "At this stage, it is very early so we don't have the details. It is our usual routine to conduct a full investigation and find out exactly what happened.

"Hang gliders are designed and as well-tested as your holiday airliner. There's a really good safety system in place, but sometimes pilots can make mistakes. In any form of aircraft, there's a limited form of risk.

"We are always saddened when we lose one of our members."