Thought I was flying straight but I was spinning: Chinese paraglider swept to 29,000 feet with no oxygen
A Chinese paraglider had a miraculous escape after being swept nearly 29,000 feet into the sky by a powerful updraft over the Qilian Mountains in Gansu Province.
Peng Yujiang, an experienced B-level paraglider, was testing a second-hand harness on Saturday when the wind suddenly picked up and lifted him high into the upper atmosphere — without any oxygen equipment.
'I had just bought a second-hand paragliding harness and wanted to test it, so I was conducting ground parachute shaking,' Peng told China Central Television (CCTV). 'After a while, the wind suddenly picked up and lifted me into the air. I tried to land as soon as possible, but I failed.'
Amateur video aired by Chinese state media showed Peng drifting through thick clouds, his face and clothing caked in ice as he battled the freezing conditions at an altitude of 8,598 metres (28,208 feet).
He described being trapped inside dense cumulonimbus clouds and completely disoriented. 'It was terrifying — everything around me was white. Without the compass, I wouldn't have known which direction I was heading. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning,' he said.
Despite nearly losing consciousness and losing feeling in his hands due to the cold, Peng managed to navigate his way out using his compass and stayed in contact with teammates via radio.
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'As soon as I came out of the clouds, I was very excited because I had survived,' he recalled. 'The scariest moment was when I tried to pull out of the spiral and failed and when the canopy nosedived. It's still frightening to think about.'
Peng, who has been paragliding for over four years, said the experience has left him shaken. 'I'm not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won't fly for a while,' he added.
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