DRAPER, UTAH: Joshua Ellison, a 44-year-old paragliding instructor was killed in a tragic accident during a mid-air collision with a hang glider on October 17, reported the New York Post.
Two aircraft, a tandem paraglider and a single hang glider, had launched from the Salt Lake County Flight Park, a popular spot for non-powered aircraft to launch from a mountain slope and catch updrafts in the suburb south of Salt Lake City.
They crashed nearby at around 5 pm and went down hard, according to Draper Police Lt Mike Elkins.
Ellison, who was piloting the paraglider, passed away before he could be taken to a hospital.
A female passenger who was flying tandem with Ellison was rushed to the hospital, where she stays in critical condition. By a stroke of luck, the hang glider pilot walked away from the accident with minor injuries. Their names have not been disclosed by the authorities.
Why did the two aircraft crash?
The cause of the collision of the gliders is under investigation at present.
Police have stated that the conditions at the time were clear and mild. Ellison was an experienced paraglider pilot who had strong ties to the local sports community, they added.
Joshua Ellison is remembered on social media
JD Cutler, a fellow paragliding instructor, wrote on Facebook, “Losing friends in the paragliding community is one of the most difficult things this sport brings. He was a salt of the earth kind of guy, and our community will never be the same without him. As my eyes swell, and tears stream down my face tonight, I look back and visit all the great times we shared soaring the sky and flying tandems together. I miss you greatly, my friend. Flying will never be the same without you.”
Another friend, Jeremy Pottenger, referred to Ellison as "our beloved Captain Avery."
According to another paraglider, the reason Ellison became a tandem paragliding pilot was to take his wife, kids, and friends on trips across the sky.
“We know the risk we take Paragliding, yet the calling burns in our soul so deep that we must take flight to make us whole. Those who have this obsession, understand and share a common bond. Still, losing a friend, a close friend, is always hard. You’ve earned your wings brother, fly with angels, and continue your mission. Till we meet again my brother,” posted Korey Curtis on Facebook.
As per the reports of the US Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, five people died while paragliding in 2022, while three suffered hang-gliding fatalities.
