Latest news with #cloudsuck
CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Paraglider survives being accidentally pulled 28,000 feet into air without oxygen
A paraglider in China has survived an unexpected climb to 28,208 feet in the air without oxygen after being caught in a powerful updraft, according to an account told to Chinese Central Television (CCTV). Peng Yujiang, an experienced paraglider, said he had been conducting a routine test of equipment just under 10,000 feet above the sea in northwest China's Gansu Province. "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," Peng told CCTV The 55-year-old man had found himself trapped inside a cumulonimbus cloud system, in a phenomenon described as "cloud suck", where strong updraft currents carry paragliders to dramatically high altitudes. Peng Yujiang was covered in ice during the incident which saw him lifted more than 28,000 feet into the air without oxygen CCTV "It was terrifying -- everything around me was white. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning," Peng told CCTV. He climbed to an altitude of 28,208 feet, which is nearly as high as Mount Everest, the highest mountain above sea level in the world. Footage from the flight's 360-degree camera shows the paraglider flying through thick clouds as ice forms around his exposed face and equipment. Although Peng appears calm in the video, he admitted in an interview with CCTV that the episode was deeply frightening. "It's still frightening to think about. I'm not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won't fly for a while," he said. He was handed a six-month flight suspension, as the flight site and airspace had not been approved in advance.
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- General
- Gizmodo
Paraglider Defies Death After Freak Updraft Sucks Him 28,000 Feet Into Sky
A Chinese paraglider survived being sucked in by a cloud and flung 28,208 feet (8,598 meters) into the sky—even though he was just testing his new equipment and wasn't intending to take off. On May 24, Peng Yujian, a 55-year-old paraglider, was already roughly 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) above sea level, testing the fit of his new paragliding equipment. About 20 minutes in, a powerful updraft known as a 'cloud suck' shot him about 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) higher. Peng caught the wild event on a camera mounted on his glider, which naturally went viral after being posted on Douyin, China's version of TikTok. The video shows Peng coated in ice and holding on for dear life to the glider's controls. He says he may have lost consciousness during his unexpected descent. 'I felt the lack of oxygen. My hands were frozen outside. I kept trying to talk on the radio,' Peng said in the Douyin video after landing safely 20 miles (33 kilometers) from his launch point, according to Sixth Tone. Peng was in the air for more than an hour, during which he was exposed to temperatures nearing minus 40 degrees Celsius (which equals −40 degrees Fahrenheit). 'Everything ahead [was] a vast expanse of whiteness,' he told Chinese broadcaster CCTV News. Cloud suck is a meteorological phenomenon that can be deadly for paragliders. It refers to a strong upward air movement caused by powerful thermals—columns of rising warm air created when the ground heats unevenly from the sun—feeding into a cumulus cloud. As the updraft gets stronger, it creates a low pressure region at the cloud base, drawing in even more hot air from below. This results in a positive feedback loop that can cause wind speeds of over 1,000 feet (300 meters) per minute. Ewa Wiśnierska, a paraglider from Germany, still holds the dubious record of the highest altitude reached after being pulled by a cloud suck, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. An updraft flung her roughly 33,000 feet (10,000 m) into the sky in 2007. The summit of Mount Everest, the highest point above sea level on earth, is 29,029 feet (8,848 meters) above sea level. The Chinese government grounded Peng after his 'unsanctioned' flight for six months, citing safety regulations, according to a report from the Aero Sports Association of Gansu Province obtained by The Guardian. It's unclear whether that remains in effect, but something tells me he might not want to go paragliding again anytime soon.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
China: Paraglider survives accidental 8000m-high flight
A Chinese paraglider has survived being accidentally propelled 8,500m (27,800ft) into the sky above north-west China, state media report. Peng Yujiang, 55, was testing new equipment at 3,000m above sea level, over the Qilian mountains, when a rare updraft or air current known as a "cloud suck" pulled him about 5,000m higher into a cloud events were filmed on a camera that was mounted on Mr Peng's glider and the footage has gone viral after being posted on Douyin, China's version of showed Mr Peng holding on to the glider's controls, with his face and much of his body covered in ice crystals. "It was terrifying... Everything was white. I couldn't see any direction. Without the compass, I wouldn't have known which way I was going. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning," he told China Media Peng narrowly survived death as oxygen levels are thin at that altitude, which is slightly lower than the 8,849m peak of Mount Everest. Temperatures can also plummet to -40C."I wanted to come down quickly, but I just couldn't. I was lifted higher and higher until I was inside the cloud," he Peng, who has been paragliding for four-and-a-half years, said he might have lost consciousness during his descent, adding that the most frightening part of his ordeal was trying to regain control of the glider as it spiralled in the authorities are investigating the incident and Mr Peng has been suspended for six months because the flight was unauthorised, state-run Global Times Peng had no intention to fly that day and was only testing the fit and comfort of his parachute on the ground, Global Times strong winds lifted him off the ground and grew even stronger, until he encountered the updraft that shot him up into the clouds.
CNA
4 days ago
- General
- CNA
China authorities investigating paraglider who was sucked into the clouds
Chinese authorities are investigating an incident in which a paraglider was sucked into the clourds and carried more than 8,500m above sea level. He survived the chilling ordeal but authorities are looking into potential regulatory violations, Chinese media outlet Global Times reported on Wednesday (May 28). The man, known as Liu Ge, was paragliding in the Qilian Mountain region of Northwest China's Qinghai and Gansu provinces on Saturday when he was caught in a 'cloud suck' - a phenomenon where paragliders experience a significant lift. The moment was captured on camera, showing his face and clothes covered in frost. He remained conscious throughout the video while controlling the parachute. Liu was not wearing an oxygen mask and was seen to suffer from extensive frostbite. He managed to control the parachute and landed safely in what local media reports are calling a miraculous survival. 'I just kept communicating over the radio the entire time," he told local media. An experienced paraglider surnamed Ou told local media that participants typically prepare cold-weather gear as temperatures at 2,000m are already frigid. At 8,000m, temperatures drop to around -40 degrees Celsius with critically low oxygen levels. While there are global cases of cloud suction incidents reaching 6,000 to 7,000m, few people survive such extreme altitudes, Ou said. 'This is truly miraculous. His mental resilience was extraordinary,' Ou added.
