Narrative:

On an off airway (SHFTY2 STAR) cleared direct wycof to cross at 5;000 feet. VNAV and LNAV autopilot a engaged. Passing approximately 6;300 feet about 5 miles northeast of the fix; we spotted what at first appeared to be a parachute; but as we closed the distance (rapidly) it was determined to be an engineless paraglider. The position of the paraglider along our flight path and descent necessitated the autopilot to be disengaged and a relatively mild; yet necessary maneuver was preformed; hand flown; to ensure separation (of some kind) was maintained. Had this maneuver not been performed; the possibility of our aircraft and the glider coming in contact cannot be ruled out. In plain language; I think we may very likely have hit the paraglider had we not deviated. ATC was informed of the traffic and our deviation; and we were [re-cleared] to wycof to continue the arrival as previously cleared. The maneuver was such that informing the passengers and cabin crew was unnecessary; in my opinion; as it was not abrupt or in any way indicative of abnormal operation of the aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Boeing 737 NG flight crew reported altering course on arrival into RSW due to a paraglider operating in the vicinity of WYCOF.

Narrative: On an off airway (SHFTY2 STAR) cleared direct WYCOF to cross at 5;000 feet. VNAV and LNAV autopilot A engaged. Passing approximately 6;300 feet about 5 miles northeast of the fix; we spotted what at first appeared to be a parachute; but as we closed the distance (rapidly) it was determined to be an engineless paraglider. The position of the paraglider along our flight path and descent necessitated the autopilot to be disengaged and a relatively mild; yet necessary maneuver was preformed; hand flown; to ensure separation (of some kind) was maintained. Had this maneuver not been performed; the possibility of our aircraft and the glider coming in contact cannot be ruled out. In plain language; I think we may very likely have hit the paraglider had we not deviated. ATC was informed of the traffic and our deviation; and we were [re-cleared] to WYCOF to continue the arrival as previously cleared. The maneuver was such that informing the passengers and cabin crew was unnecessary; in my opinion; as it was not abrupt or in any way indicative of abnormal operation of the aircraft.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.