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RAF pilot died from serious head injuries in paragliding quarry crash

Chris DeardenBBC Wales
News imageRAF Valley Close up image of Geoff Corser smiling at the camera standing in front of an RAF plane. He is wearing khaki green uniform with a white t-shirt. Geoff has very short grey hair.RAF Valley
Flt Lt Geoff Corser died in an off-duty paragliding accident at Dinorwig Quarry, Gwynedd, last August

The death of a flying instructor from RAF Valley while paragliding was an accident, an inquest has concluded.

Flt Lt Geoffrey Robert Corser, 46, was off duty and attempting to fly through an old quarry near Llanberis, Gwynedd, manoeuvring between rocks close to the ground.

But witnesses on 23 August 2025 saw his paraglider swaying from side to side and said he did not appear to be in full control, the inquest heard at Caernarfon Coroner's Court.

He collided with a vertical rock face, fell about 164ft (50m) to the ground and died from serious head injuries, said coroner Sarah Riley.

The inquest was told Flt Lt Corser had gone with a friend to the slopes of Elidir Fawr near Llanberis early that morning.

Both were intending to carry out a form of paragliding known as "speed flying", which involves higher speeds of up to 70 km/h (43 mph) and flying much closer to the ground.

His colleague launched first and successfully completed a four-minute flight.

However, Flt Lt Corser decided to launch from another part of the mountain and set off alone, the inquest heard.

He was seen soon afterwards by two climbers, flying over a disused quarry before heading out of sight through a V-shaped gap in the rock.

One of the climbers, Paul Hockin, said in a statement: "The paraglider was travelling quickly, swaying from side to side, and didn't seem to be fully under control."

An investigation by the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association said it was difficult to determine how Flt Lt Corser lost control of his paraglider.

However, although he was experienced and familiar with the flight path, the report noted that any mistake in the confined area of the quarry would have been impossible to recover from.

News imageLoop Images via Getty Images An abandoned quarry building at Dinorwig Slate Quarry. A blue lake can be seen in the background. Loop Images via Getty Images
Dinorwig Slate Quarry is located in Eryri National Park

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, coroner Sarah Riley said: "He lost control while travelling quickly, and collided with a vertical rock face before falling around 50m."

The inquest heard that Flt Lt Corser was originally from Nottingham and had trained as a pilot with the South African Air Force before relocating to RAF Valley on Anglesey.

Paying tribute shortly after the accident, group captain Peter Ward and group captain Gez Currie, station commander at RAF Valley, described him as "a brilliant instructor and fighter pilot.

"His professional legacy - excellence, selflessness, humility - lives on through the many RAF and Royal Navy fighter pilots he helped train who now defend our nation at home and abroad."