A PILOT escaped serious injury when his paramotor crashed into power lines in a freak accident over Fenland skies.
This dramatic reader’s photo -and video- shows the paramotor entangled in cables; the incident left power to 45 homes temporarily cut off.
The pilot was taking part in a three day open weekend at the UKPPG centre in March.
Emergency crews were called shortly after 8pm to Knights End Road, March, on Sunday to find the machine attached to the cables although the pilot had freed himself.
Nigel Davies, co owner with his wife Nikki of UKPPG, said: “This was a freak accident involving a very experienced pilot. “The pilot was coming in to land in a non-designated area, and had been instructed not to fly in that area.
“He was on approach to land after a manoeuvre and was level with the power lines, so did not see them. He tried to avoid a collision by powering out, but caught the bottom of his paraglider frame on the wires.
“He lowered himself to safety; it was a five-foot drop. We had a nurse and a doctor on site who attended to him straight away and we called the emergency services.
“The pilot would like to thank the paramedics for their prompt service.”
The ambulance service confirmed they treated a man in his 40s with suspected burns to his hand. He was taken to hospital.
A spokesman for UK Power Networks said their engineers attended the scene to ensure safe removal of the parachute and effect repairs.
Power was restored by 11pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here