Horror flight in Gansu: paraglider over 8,500 meters sought!

Horror flight in Gansu: paraglider over 8,500 meters sought!

In a dramatic incident in the province of Gansu, Northwest China, a paraglider tested a used paraglider in the Qilian high mountains at around 3,000 meters. Suddenly captured strong winds, the plane, which led to a dangerous pressure difference that pulled it up to 8,589 meters up. This sudden climb brought him into icy temperatures and in an environment with extremely little oxygen, which led to the fact that he briefly lost consciousness. Fortunately, he managed to regain control of his paraglider and reach a safe landing.

His colleagues were quickly on site and released a video on social media that documented the terrifying moments of the incident. In the video, the plane was seen in a cloud, covered with ice cream while visible to keep his eyes open. After landing, in an interview on Chinese state television, he expressed that he was still afraid and thinking about not flying for a while. The incident has attracted the attention of the authorities and led to an investigation.

Investigations and consequences

The studies showed that the airspace in which the paraglider was active was not permitted for paragliding flights. As a result, the plane received a six -month flight ban. The responsible authorities made it clear that the buoyancy forces that were generated due to the winds were classified as an accident and not as illegal behavior. Interestingly, Chinese state television later removed the original reporting on the incident, without a recognizable reason. The revised version no longer spoke of punishments, which led to speculation about possible influence.

A colleague who also published videos of the flights without permission is now facing similar consequences. The Air Sports Association in Gansu justified the procedure with the "negative effects" of the behavior of the two, but gave no further details.

safety aspects in paragliding

The incident emphasizes the risks connected to paragliding. According to the German Hängegreiferverband (DHV), paragliding and kite flying are demanding outdoor sports, the risks of which are comparable to alpinism and water sports. A high level of technical skills and the secure assessment of the environmental factors are urgently required to fly safely. Self -responsibility and risk awareness are essential. The fact that accidents occur less frequently in this sport than in other air sports is due to the low flight speeds, which does not mean that there are no dangers.

In particular, slight self -overestimation or recklessness can lead to critical situations. It is all the more important that many licensed pilots adhere to offers from flight schools in order to be able to exercise assisted flies. The DHV works closely with flight schools, aviation associations and manufacturers to ensure the security in paragliding and to publish accident statistics for clarification. Over 300 DHV flight sports clubs support the safety of paragliders in Germany and promote responsible flies under safe conditions.