A paraglider instructor died in a tragic mid-air collision with a hang glider in Utah on Tuesday, police said.
The two planes crashed about 5 p.m. near Salt Lake County Flight Park, a popular spot for unpowered planes to launch from hillsides and catch updrafts in the town of Draper, a suburb south of Salt Lake City.
A tandem paraglider and a hang glider were launched from the park and crashed hard in the same area nearby, Draper Police Lt. Mike Elkins said Tuesday.
The paraglider pilot, Joshua Ellison, 44, died before he could be taken to hospital.
A female passenger flying with Ellison was rushed to hospital in critical condition, while the hang glider pilot walked away from the crash with minor injuries.
Their identities have not been disclosed.
Ellison has launched a tandem paraglider from Salt Lake County Flight Park.Facebook
The cause of the crash remains under investigation — police said the circumstances at the time were clear and simple and that Ellison was an experienced paraglider pilot with strong ties to the local sports community.
“Losing a friend in the paragliding community is one of the hardest things the sport brings,” fellow paragliding instructor JD Cutler wrote on Facebook.
“He is a very popular man, and our community will never be the same without him. As my eyes swell up, and tears stream down my face tonight, I look back and visit all the wonderful times we shared soaring through the sky and flying together. I miss you so much, my friend. Flying will never be the same without you.”
Other friends referred to Ellison as “dear Captain Avery.”
According to a paraglider, Ellison became a tandem paragliding pilot so he could take his wife, children and friends across the sky.
Ellison is an experienced pilot and paragliding instructor.Facebook
“We know the risk we take for Paragliding, yet the calling burns in our souls so deeply that we need to fly to restore us. Those who have this obsession, understand and share the same bond. However, losing a friend, a close friend, is always difficult,” said Korey Curtis.
“You have earned your wing brother, fly with the angels, and continue your mission. Until we meet again my brother.”
The hang glider’s experience level was not immediately known.
Ellison learned to paraglide in tandem to take his family and friends out on trips, according to fellow surfers. Facebook
A hang glider is a triangular kite-like aircraft flown by a pilot suspended horizontally below.
A paraglider is an elongated parachute designed to glide with the pilot suspended in a seated position.
According to the US Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, five people died while paragliding last year, while there were three hang-gliding deaths.
By Postal Wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
