‘Speed flier’ found dead after he vanished from flight with friend, CO rescuers say

A speed flier was found dead after he vanished from a flight with a friend in Colorado, rescuers said.

The two men took off on a flight Saturday, Aug. 27, and planned to land in the same spot, the Summit County Rescue Group said. The friend had launched his paragliding wing first and landed near Copper Mountain Resort, about 75 miles southwest of Denver.

“His friend had launched behind him with a speed wing, which should have made his flight much shorter than the reporting party’s flight,” the Summit County Rescue Group said in a news release. “Upon landing, the reporting party did not find his friend in the parking lot.”

Speed flying is similar to paragliding, but it uses a smaller wing.

The friend tried to call the speed flier’s cell phone several times. When he did not answer, the friend called 911.

Rescuers rushed to find the missing man. Crew members packed into a UTV, and a Flight for Life helicopter scoured the area.

They spotted the man from the air, but when rescuers arrived at his location, they found the man dead.

“His speed wing was found tangled up with the broken-off top of a tree,” rescuers said.

The man’s body was recovered and taken to the Summit County coroner.

This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 10:27 AM with the headline "‘Speed flier’ found dead after he vanished from flight with friend, CO rescuers say."