A Brit and his pilot plunged thousands of feet to their deaths after their parachute malfunctioned in a horror paragliding accident. The unnamed tourist had leaped from a 6,500ft mountain in the Babadag paragliding spot in Fethiye, Turkey, under the care of his pilot on Wednesday morning during an adrenaline-fuelled flight.
But the pair’s parachute malfunctioned shortly after their 11.45am takeoff, Turkish media reported, sending the 22 and 29-year-old plummeting to their deaths on jagged rocks set along the mountainside. The two died at the scene after other paragliders raised the alarm, and flights in the area have been cancelled following the distressing incident.
Officials have reportedly launched a probe into the incident, with investigators set to examine the crash scene and paragliding equipment used before the pair’s deaths. Their bodies have been taken to a local mortuary as the investigation unfolds. The Mirror has contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for further comment.
The deaths at the paragliding hotspot are not the first, but it is not quite as dangerous as it may seem, with Turkish investigators finding that only a few people have died following botched flights.
The Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine found in 2023 that, of all the 241,420 paraglider flights which have departed from the mountainous area, only 44 have involved documented accidents.
Of those accidents only three were fatal, with the majority of incidents being “of low severity”. Among the other fatalities reported following flights was another Brit, Frank Lally, who was killed after jumping from the same spot as the unnamed Brit.
The 62-year-old died after deciding to brave the jump from Babadag while on holiday. He also smashed into the mountainside rocks soon after takeoff. While emergency services were quickly alerted to the accident at the time and he was rushed to the local Fethiye state hospital, medics were unable to save him.
Turkish national Orkut Baysal died after he jumped from the landing platform in April 2023 while training with Andaç Ünsal. The two made the jump alongside 45-year-old Brit Thomas Aitken, with whom they collided after making the descent.
The trio became entangled, bringing them into contact with a hotel before they fell onto the edge of a swimming pool, with the accident leading locals to alert local emergency services.
Mr Baysal was confirmed dead at the scene, while both Mr Aitken and Mr Ünsal were taken to Fethiye State Hospital for treatment. Hospital staff later confirmed the two injured paragliders recovered from their mid-air clash.
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