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Fran Lu

Social media in China has reacted with disbelief after a Chinese paraglider who miraculously survived after being sucked into a potentially deadly cloud vortex that carried him 8,598 metres above sea level was punished by local authorities.
Peng Yujiang, 55, was sucked into the clouds on May 24 in the Qilian Mountain region across Qinghai and Gansu provinces in northwestern China.
He ascended to an altitude almost the height of the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest that is 8,849 metres above sea level.
The temperature at that altitude is about -40 degrees Celsius. The wind speed is about 25 metres per second.

Peng survived and brought back a video that recorded the entire incident.
The video shows him clearly suffering from severe frostbite as he recounts experiencing hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation.
Data recorded by a device he was carrying showed that he was climbing at a maximum speed of 9.7 metres per second. The whole flight took 72 minutes.
In an interview with China Media Group, Peng said he immediately realised his situation when he was sucked up by the vortex while trying to control the parachute while his hands were numb with the cold.
Peng said he had recovered well, except for his frostbitten face and fingers.
Online observers have been stunned by the incident, especially after learning that Peng only had four and a half years of paragliding experience.

A paragliding enthusiast surnamed Ou told Jiupai News that Peng, known by the nickname Lao Liu, has become a legend.
They were also shocked to learn that the local authorities had decided to punish Peng, banning him from flying for six months and asking him to submit a report.
The Gansu Provincial Aviation Sports Association published their decision on May 28.
They also banned Peng’s flying companion Gu Zhimin from flying for six months for “publishing the video without permission and causing bad influence”.
One angry online observer said: “How is publishing videos of a personal experience something punishable? And how can they reflect on an accident?”
“He survived being sucked into a sub-zero cloud vortex but not the official investigation,” said another.
Peng said in the interview that he did not plan to fly again soon as he had been traumatised by his experience.
Some, however, backed the decision of the authorities, saying it would prevent daredevils from copying him.

Peng, who has a valid paragliding licence, did not submit a flight plan to the authorities according to the rules.
He said he was training at a paragliding centre 3,000 metres above sea level in the Qilian Mountains when he was sucked into the strong winds. He said he had no intention of flying on that day.
In 2007, German paraglider Ewa Wisnierska was sucked into a storm cloud and carried to an altitude of 9,947 metres, and lived to tell her story.
However, Chinese paraglider, He Zhongping, who was sucked into the same storm, did not survive.
A meteorology expert said Peng was sucked into a cumulonimbus cloud, and was lucky that it had yet to develop thunderstorms that could have killed him.


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Death-defying flier says trauma of ordeal has put him off flying as he becomes legend among fellow paragliders


Death-defying flier says trauma of ordeal has put him off flying as he becomes legend among fellow paragliders.


Disbelief as Chinese paraglider sucked into freezing, high altitude vortex is punished

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Death-defying flier says trauma of ordeal has put him off flying as he becomes legend among fellow paragliders

Death-defying flier says trauma of ordeal has put him off flying as he becomes legend among fellow paragliders