Latest news with #DustyHowlett
Indian Express
16-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
‘Amateur pilot with no flight plan': Paraglider strikes power line, crashes into North Dakota river; chilling video emerges
A paraglider in North Dakota walked away uninjured after a dramatic crash into power lines sent him plunging into the Red River in Grand Forks. The incident, which occurred on July 8, according to USA Today, was caught on camera by an onlooker, Dusty Howlett. The viral video shows the powered parachute striking overhead wires, triggering sparks. Soon after the strike, the glider and pilot plummet into the North Dakota river. 'Whoa, oh no!' Howlett can be heard saying in the video as the crash unfolds. Emergency crews were soon seen recovering the wreckage from the water. In a Facebook post, Howlett shared the details of the incident that unfolded in front of his eyes. He shared that he had been walking with a friend when 'this guy in a powered parachute flew way too low' and failed to notice the power lines overhead. 'He landed in the river and was waving and talking to us – water rescue is here now, so hopefully he will be ok. If you have a recreational aircraft, please be careful and pay attention to your surroundings!' he wrote. Responding to a comment, Howlett confirmed the pilot was 'thankfully' unharmed. Watch the video here: A post shared by Brut (@brutamerica) Reacting to the video, a user wrote, 'Tell me you from North Dakota without saying you from North Dakota.' Another user commented, 'Without differential energy, no electric discharge.' 'Amateur pilot with no flight plan. Not a surprise. Glad they didn't die. Sad. Idiocracy,' a third user slammed the pilot. Grand Forks Police Lt Travis M Benson told USA TODAY on July 14 that the pilot had been flying low along the river and didn't see the power lines in time due to sun glare. 'He attempted to drop beneath them but struck the wires instead,' Benson said, adding that the pilot fell straight into the river but was able to stay afloat. According to a July 8 press release from the Grand Forks Fire Department, a rescue boat was deployed, and responders found the pilot uninjured. Authorities have not released his name.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
North Carolina paraglider triggers huge explosion after flying into live power lines above river
On a picturesque summer evening in North Dakota, a powered paraglider was flying through the air when disaster struck. With the sun in his eyes, he flew over a bridge above the Red River on the evening of July 8, only to strike the power lines hanging over the water. The collision triggered a massive explosion as the man and his equipment sank into the water. The identity of the paraglider has not yet been revealed. Dusty Howlett was on a walk with his brother around 8:30 pm when he captured the incident on video and later posted it to TikTok. In a recent upload, he said that he loved power paragliders and ultra-light aircrafts like this one, and often took notice when he saw them flying around. On their walk, the brothers saw the aircraft a few times, and finally got a wave from the pilot as he flew over the water in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Just seconds later he collided with the power line with an explosive crackle. As the pilot fell into the lake and Howlett watched in horror with a very mid-western: 'Woah! Oh no! Oh geez!' He, and other onlookers, immediately began yelling to the man in the water and Howlett called 911. He told the Grand Forks Herald, 'My first instinct was to jump in the river and try to go after him, but I can't swim, and everyone knows that even if you're a good swimmer, you don't want to jump in that river.' He said the Red River had a notoriously strong undercurrent, making it difficult to perform a successful amateur rescue. Fortunately, the body of the aircraft was light, and though it flipped upside down, it floated in the water. Soon, the man's head popped up and he gave a thumbs up to the crowd, signaling that he was okay. 'It's just a miracle that not only did he survive, but he was uninjured,' Howlett said. Howlett said emergency services arrived within just a few minutes and quickly helped the man out of the water. Local first responders do a few water rescues each summer, since the city is located next to the Red River, and thoroughly train for all manner of water-based emergencies. But Scott Nicola, battalion chief at the Grand Forks Fire Department, said 'this is going to probably be the first and last time' that his team performed a water rescue on a paraglider. First responders reported that the man's paraglider cords had gotten tangled around his foot and the accident could have been much worse. Had he hit his head or collided with the power lines with the body of the aircraft, the man could've drowned and died. Gliders are often temperamental to steer, as well, even if he'd spotted the powerline, he still may have been unable to avoid it. The local fire department advised that locals wishing to visit the Red River should use life jackets even when not directly in the water. Keeping flotation devices on hand while on the ground nearby or even above the water could prevent accidents like this one.
