Latest news with #updraft
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.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Chinese paraglider accidentally swept more than 28,000 ft above ground
A 55-year-old Chinese man was accidentally swept more than 28,000 feet over Northwest China while testing a paraglider harness. A powerful updraft of wind lifted him far above the tallest buildings in the world. NBC News' Steve Patterson has more on the dramatic accident.
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Chinese paraglider survives accidental flight in the clouds without oxygen
A Chinese paraglider survived being accidentally propelled more than 27,000 feet into the sky in northern China. Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang is lucky to be back on the ground after surviving a powerful updraft that suddenly lifted him into the upper atmosphere above the Qilian Mountains in China's Gansu Province Saturday. Peng reportedly went soaring 8,598 metres or about 28,208 feet without oxygen; amateur video shared by Chinese state media showed Peng with ice covering his face and clothes while drifting in the clouds. 'I had just bought a second-hand paragliding harness and wanted to test it, so I was conducting ground parachute shaking. 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 Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) Tuesday. 'I found myself surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and trapped inside. 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. Eventually, I managed to fly out toward the northeast,' he added. Peng says he was shocked to learn he reached such a high altitude and believe he might have briefly lost consciousness, state media reports. Peng has been paragliding for more than four years and is a certified B-level paraglider which requires at least 20 days of flight experience, per CCTV. He was able to control his paraglider using his compass and radio communication with teammates despite having nearly frozen and numb hands, state media reports. 'As soon as I came out of the clouds, I was very excited because I had survived. 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 told CCTV. 'I'm not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won't fly for a while,' he added. Written by Jennifer Hauser, CNN
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Paraglider accidentally soars above the clouds in death-defying icy flight caught on camera
A 55-year-old paraglider has shared his survival story and video after being unexpectedly lifted by a powerful updraft into the upper atmosphere during a flight over the Qilian Mountains in China. Peng Yujiang, a certified B-level paraglider, reached an altitude of 8,598 meters without oxygen, and narrowly escaped death. What started as a calm session quickly turned dangerous when a sudden surge of wind pulled him into rapidly forming cumulonimbus clouds. He became trapped in the cloud system. Without an oxygen mask and with his face exposed, Peng endured freezing conditions as ice crystals formed. Peng says he suspects he may have briefly lost consciousness during his eventual descent.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Chinese paraglider survives accidental 8,000-metre-high flight above the clouds
A Chinese paraglider who was accidentally propelled more than 8,000 metres high by an updraft has been banned from the activity for six months after a video of his ordeal went viral. Peng Yujiang began from an elevation of about 3,000m in the Qilian mountain range in northern China, where he intended to test a new second-hand equipment purchase without making a proper flight, according to an investigative report by the Gansu Provincial Aviation Sports Association. However about 20 minutes into his practice he was caught in a strong updraft, which sent him soaring more than 5,000m high, in line with flight paths and nearly the height of Mount Everest. Video from Peng's mounted camera showed him above the clouds and covered in icicles as the temperature dropped to a reported -35C, as he tried to control his equipment. In a video filmed shortly after landing, Peng recounted the experience. 'My hands were frozen outside. I kept trying to talk on the radio,' he said. Authorities praised Peng's survival, conceding it was an accident. A 'normal person cannot be exposed at 8,000m without oxygen [so] this is not something that can be done voluntarily' said a sports bureau official, according to Sixth Tone. But Peng, who has about five years' experience paragliding, never intended to leave ground level and so had not registered any flight plans, meaning his ordeal was 'not subject to relevant approvals', the report said. In response he was banned from flying for six months. The bureau report, based on an interview with Peng, said he was in the air for more than an hour, and had stayed in radio contact with his friend, Gu Zhimin, who was still on the ground. The report said he had attempted to descend but his efforts were 'ineffective', and as he flew higher he became confused and briefly lost consciousness. Peng was eventually able to land about 30km from the launch site, where he was met by Gu and another friend. Gu later posted a video of Peng's flight and comments on the ground to Douyin, China's domestic version of TikTok, where it soon went viral. The video sparked shock and admiration from viewers, some suggesting he had broken records, but it also drew the ire of authorities. 'Gu Zhimin posted a flight video without permission, which had a bad impact,' the report said. 'He was grounded for six months and asked to write a report to deeply reflect on the negative impact of his behaviour.' The bureau said any record broken by Peng's flight would not be officially counted because his flight was not registered. His flight nears the world record of 9,946m set by German paraglider Ewa Wiśnierska in 2007, when she was caught in a similar updraft while paragliding in Australia. Wiśnierska was unconscious for about 40 minutes, only learning how high she had flown after safely landing and checking her flight data. Additional research by Lillian Yang
