Man hangs on for dear life after realising harness not attached to hang glider
External Link: Gursk3: Swiss mishap
A US man says he experienced an "unexpected twist" when he decided to try hang gliding on holiday in Switzerland — and discovered his instructor had failed to secure his harness.
Key points:
- Mr Gursky said pilot failed to secure his harness before take-off
- Incident took place on Mr Gursky's first day on holiday in Switzerland
- Said he fractured wrist in landing
Florida resident Chris Gursky shared anxiety-inducing footage of the incident.
The clip depicts Mr Gursky as he was forced to spend minutes desperately clinging to the glider while the pilot controlling it tried to find a safe place to land.
While Mr Gursky clung to the bar supporting the glider's landing gear and the pilot's harness, the pilot reportedly experienced difficulty controlling the craft.
As he struggled to find somewhere safe to land, Mr Gursky started to lose his grip.
The pair continued to gain altitude despite the pilot's best efforts and were forced to fly over a hilltop in the hopes of reaching open fields below.
By this point in the clip, Mr Gursky appears to be losing strength.
Hanging well below the craft's landing gear, he clutched desperately at the pilot's leg as the pair made their final descent.
Once at a safe distance, Mr Gursky dropped to the ground, and the pilot executed his landing seconds later.
Despite his near-death experience, Mr Gursky wrote: "I will go hang gliding again as I did not get to enjoy my first flight."
Mr Gursky said he suffered a fragmented distal radius fracture to his wrist that required surgery after the crash landing.
"A titanium plate and seven screws were installed and I was released the following afternoon," he wrote.
"I also tore my left bicep tendon from holding on as long as I did.
"It beats the alternative."
Thanking the pilot for his quick thinking, Mr Gursky said: "While the pilot made a critical error in our pre-flight setup by not attaching me to the glider, he did all he could to get me to the ground as quickly as possible, grabbing onto my harness and flying with one hand."
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