A paraglider crashed into a power pole in north Phoenix and had to be rescued off a steep hillside, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.
At about 6:30 a.m. June 29, Phoenix firefighters responded to calls of a paraglider who crashed into a power pole and was stuck in a power line near Seventh Street and Thunderbird Road, according to Captain Rob McDade.
The paraglider, identified only as an adult man, was able to remove himself from his harness and get onto a large rock, McDade said.
Rescuers assisted him down the mountain safely and evaluated him. He was not injured and declined to be taken to the hospital, according to McDade.
Paraglider damaged power lines
Before the rescue, the paraglider was seen dangling from the middle of a power line, and a nearby support beam received substantial damage, photos showed.
Arizona Public Service did not report any power outages as a result of the incident.
What is a paraglider?
A paraglider is a type of aviation device that typically uses a parachute-like canopy to launch a seated pilot into the air, according to the U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.
Some paragliders are driven by a fan that is powered by a small engine, as was the case in the north Phoenix incident.
Do paraglider crashes happen often in Arizona?
Paraglider crashes are rare in Arizona, but they do happen.
In mid-May, a firefighter recruit in the Prescott area crashed a paraglider and died due to injuries he sustained.
Another paraglider crash happened in 2015, also in the Prescott area, which claimed the life of the pilot.
In 1993, a 29-year-old man suffered an ankle injury, cuts and bruises after crashing his paraglider into South Mountain, according to The Arizona Republic archives.
Contact reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. at rcovarrubias@gannett.com. Follow him on Instagram, X, Threads and Bluesky: @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Paraglider crashes into north Phoenix power line, rescued off a rock