Palampur: Russian pilot dies in paragliding mishap

Our Correspondent

Palampur, October 29

A Russian pilot was killed in a paragliding mishap last evening. He was a free flier and not taking part in the Pre International Paragliding World Cup Championship.

A spokesman of the Bir-Billing Paragliding Association (BPA) said Stoiko had taken off from Billing and he was to land at Dharmsala or Palampur. But his glider crashed in the high hills of Dhauladhar near Kandwari, about 10 km from Palampur. He said by the time rescue teams reached the mishap site, Stoiko was already dead. He was an experienced flier, but not conversant with topography of the Dhauladhar hills.

A pilot hailing from Lucknow was killed in a similar mishap after taking off from Billing last week. His body was recovered from the snow-covered valley near Billing. He was a beginner and under training at a paragliding school in Bir.

Earlier, Polish pilot Andrzej had also gone missing and the rescue teams have failed to trace him so far. The state agencies have discontinued the search now. The district administration also took the help of Indian Air Force but in vain.

The rising paragliding mishaps in Bir-Billing have become a matter of concern. Paragliding pilots sometimes tend to overlook safety guidelines, which lead to fatal mishaps. Despite repeated requests of paragliding associations and other stakeholders, the Tourism Department has failed to appoint the staff to manage the affairs. At present, there is none at the take-off point to inspect the documents of pilots and their equipment. In the past 10 years, over 35 paragliders have crashed in Kangra and Mandi districts after taking off from Billing, killing 20 pilots, including foreigners.

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