In Northwest China’s Gansu province, the local aeronautical sports association has issued a report regarding paraglider Peng Yujiang, who miraculously survived an ascent to over 8,598 meters in the Qilian Mountains, setting a new world paragliding altitude record. However, Peng has been suspended from flying for six months because the flight site and airspace hadn’t been approved beforehand, as reported by CCTV News.
According to the Guangming Daily on Tuesday, a paraglider was pulled into a cloud at an astonishing 8,598 meters above sea level during a flight in the Qilian Mountains on Saturday, with the entire incident recorded on video.
The report from Guangming Daily stated that the paraglider’s initial takeoff altitude was over 3,000 meters. When the equipment malfunctioned and became uncontrollable, it continued to ascend, eventually reaching over 8,000 meters, resulting in a vertical climb of more than 5,000 meters.
Footage showed that Peng suffered severe frostbite but remained conscious throughout. He managed to control the parachute until landing safely.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Gansu provincial aeronautical sports association released its report on the Qilian Mountains flight incident involving Peng, as reported by CCTV News.
The report explained that Peng’s original plan was only to conduct ground parachute shaking to adjust his equipment for comfort, with no intention of taking off.
However, a sudden strong wind during the ground activity lifted Peng off the ground and carried him forward along the terrain. As the wind grew stronger, Peng found it impossible to land and encountered a cloud suction phenomenon.
After feeling the powerful upward lift, Peng immediately tried multiple height-reduction maneuvers to escape the updraft, but all attempts failed. Once inside the cloud, he lost his sense of direction and experienced several front stalls and major collapses, being passively lifted to a height of 8,589 meters. During this involuntary ascent, Peng also faced dangerous physical conditions like blurred vision and temporary unconsciousness.
As the temperature dropped, the cold air seemed to revive Peng slightly, allowing him to regain some control of the paraglider. He gradually guided it to a safe landing near Qifeng town in Sunan County, Gansu Province, at an altitude of 1,800 meters.
After the incident, association staff immediately went to the scene to investigate.
The management measures for paragliding sports state that ground parachute shaking training doesn’t require prior approval. Since the flight was caused by an unexpected air current and was a pure accident, there were no violations or illegal flights involved, the report noted.
Nevertheless, despite breaking the world paragliding altitude record and attracting widespread attention, the flight site and airspace hadn’t been approved in advance, which had significant negative impacts.
To strengthen the compliant management of flight sites and emphasize the importance of airspace approval for paragliding, Peng received a six-month flight suspension. He was also required to write an accident reflection report and deeply reflect on the incident.
Pilot Gu Zhimin, who released the flight video without permission, also faced consequences. He received a six-month flight suspension and was ordered to write a reflection report.
In addition, all potential flight sites in Jiayuguan city and Sunan county in Zhangye city have been immediately sealed off. The association has ordered the erection of obvious no-fly signs at these locations, and all flight-related activities are prohibited until proper approval procedures are completed, the report concluded.
