Paraglider Gets Trapped In Power Lines For Three Hours Before Being Safely Rescued

OLIVEHURST (CBS13) — A paraglider was safely rescued after a training flight gone wrong near the Yuba County airport Wednesday.

He was dangling from power lines for more than three hours. This paraglider pilot hung on, facing the ground, and supported by nothing but wires.

Detaching him from those power lines was a very tricky operation.

"The difficulty was making sure that the lines were de-energized to make sure that our firefighters were safe before we could make patient contact," said Randy York, with the Olivehurst Fire Department.

A crowd watched in shock.

"I think we're all just rooting for him to get down safely," said Hannah Sporney, who lives nearby.

First responders said the paraglider got stuck while trying to land at the Yuba County airport. He was doing a training exercise with an instructor when something went wrong. Once stuck, firefighters told him to stay still.

"Letting him know to stay in contact with the aircraft and not to reach out and touch us so that the aircraft stayed still," York said.

After hours of holding on, the paraglider was brought down in the bucket attached to the fire truck ladder. First responders said he's doing well.

'He's exhausted but all his vitals seem to be stable," York said.

Power was cut to the surrounding area in Yuba County for a few hours while crews worked to save the man.