Paraglider dies after crashing at Stanwell Tops
A paraglider has died after crashing at Stanwell Tops south of Sydney on Saturday afternoon.
Emergency services were called to the popular paragliding location Bald Hill Lookout, off Otford Road, just before 3pm following reports a glider had crashed into the side of a cliff.
Witnesses said the man launched from Bald Hill and took off successfully, but was blown back and slammed into a ledge before falling into shrub.
"He lost grip and toppled 50 metres onto the rocks below," witness Grant Ashford told Nine News.
A specialist paramedic descended a crumbling rock face to reach the site and confirmed the man had died.
The recovery mission was abandoned at about 5.30pm due to poor light, to resume on Sunday.
Another man, a first responder, clawed his way across the cliff to attend the scene.
NSW Ambulance Illawarra duty operations manager Inspector Norm Rees said he believed the deceased was a 40-year-old man.
"The hang-glider, an approximate 40-year-old male, has gone out and come back onto the bank, he has landed on a ledge and unfortunately he is deceased," Insp Rees said.
"There is another person who has gone down and accessed him by foot and he has confirmed he is deceased.
"We've had our Helo [helicopter] go past and they've confirmed he is deceased."
Emergency services on the scene included NSW Ambulance, NSW Police rescue squad, and ambulance and police helicopters.
"We've got it all covered we are just organising a good safe approach and a retrieval," Insp Rees said.
with The Illawarra Mercury