Paraglider In Peril: Three Accidents In A Week Prompt Questions About Safety Regulations
YUBA COUNTY (CBS13) — A piece of land right next to the Yuba County Airport is where you'll find people free-flying, launching into the sky.
It's exactly what a paraglider was doing moments before crashing into a power line across the street from where he was trying to land. The community surrounded him in support, anxiously waiting for him to safely get down.
"From what I can tell the wind it almost always comes out of this direction right here. He turned around and came in with the wind instead of against the wind," said Dave Jewell, owner of Blue Sky Powered Paragliding.
The paragliding crash is the latest incident in a matter of days.
Last Friday, a Rocklin man was killed following a crash in Truckee and on Monday a pilot was hurt after crashing in El Dorado County.
In light of the recent incidents, CBS13 went directly to the Federal Aviation Administration for answers on how paragliding is regulated. The agency released the following statement:
"If it's an unregistered ultralight, they don't require an FAA airworthiness certificate and you don't need a pilot license to fly them. If it's a registered aircraft, the pilot is subject to the same requirements as anyone else with a pilot license and the aircraft is subject to the same maintenance requirements. If it's an experimental aircraft, there are limits on where it can be flown."
Rebekah Wright watches paragliders outside her office almost every day, but has never seen a man crash into a power line dangling for dear life. She's happy the man is alive and free.
"At the very end finally get him down you can see the relief in his eyes," she said.
