Police Say Paraglider Slammed Into Tree in Orange County

Police and multiple emergency services units responded to a reported aircraft accident in a field Wednesday morning. Though this was not a plane that crashed. According to police, the accident involved a motor-powered paraglider that had hit a tree and then landed in the field.

The incident is under investigation by police.

Paragliding, is also known as paramotoring (or PPG), and is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a motor as sort of a backpack. The motor gives the pilot enough thrust and lift to take off the ground using a paraglider and travel by air.

See Also: Hudson Valley Woman Seriously Injured Hang Gliding in Ulster County

According to Wikipedia, powered paragliding does not carry too many regulations in the U.S., and does not require a license.

Paraglider Crashes in Orange County 

Town of Warwick Police said on their Facebook page that they responded to a reported aircraft accident in a field near Mt. Eve Road and Pulaski Highway.

Police say that responding officers quickly located the incident and determined it to be a motorized paraglider that had crash-landed after striking a tree. Police say the operator of the paraglider is a 25-year-old man from Bloomfield, NJ.

The pilot was said to have suffered minor leg injuries and was transported to the hospital by EMS.

How High and Fast Can These Things Go? 

Wikipedia says that motorized paragliders can usually fly between 15 and 50 MPH. They can also range in altitudes from 'foot-dragging' all the way up about to 18,000 feet or more with certain permission, according to sources.