Switzerland's civil aviation authority will question a hang glider pilot after an American tourist spent a two-minute ride holding on for dear life to a control bar and the pilot's leg after his harness wasn't attached before take off.

Chris Gursky, from Florida, posted a GoPro video of the wild ride over picturesque Swiss landscape on his YouTube account on Monday, with the title "Swiss Mishap".

The video shows the trouble began immediately after takeoff when Gursky realised he wasn't attached to the craft. He ended up holding the control bar with his left hand and the pilot with his right hand for most of the two-minute-and-14-second flight. The pilot held Gursky's harness with his left hand while steering with his right.

The glider was at times dozens of metres from the ground as it travelled from the top of a mountain to an eventual landing spot.