Chinese paraglider survives accidental flight in the clouds without oxygen, reports state media

Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang says he "definitely won't fly for a while" after surviving high altitude accident. (CCTV via Reuters via CNN Newsource)

Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang is lucky to be back on the ground after surviving a powerful updraft that suddenly lifted him into the upper atmosphere above the Qilian Mountains in China’s Gansu Province Saturday, according to state media.

Peng reportedly went soaring 8,598 meters or about 28,208 feet without oxygen, per China Central Television (CCTV).

“I had just bought a second-hand paragliding harness and wanted to test it, so I was conducting ground parachute shaking. After a while, the wind suddenly picked up and lifted me into the air. I tried to land as soon as possible, but I failed,” Peng told CCTV Tuesday.

“I found myself surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and trapped inside. It was terrifying — everything around me was white. Without the compass, I wouldn’t have known which direction I was heading. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning. Eventually, I managed to fly out toward the northeast,” he added.

He was able to control his paraglider using his compass and radio communication with teammates despite having nearly frozen and numb hands, state media reports. Peng says he was later shocked to learn he reached such a high altitude and believes he might have briefly lost consciousness, CCTV said.

It’s not the first time a paraglider reports being sucked into such dangerous heights – in 2007, German paraglider Ewa Wisnierska survived being drawn nearly 10,000 meters high into a storm front.

Geoff Davison, a paragliding instructor at Fly Koh Larn in Thailand, describes that altitude as “the death zone,” and warns that being swept away the updraft can happen in a matter of minutes.

“If you’re at that rate of climb for two minutes, three minutes, four minutes, you’re going to go very, very high, very quickly,” he told CNN, adding that “if you stay at that height for a long time, then you know there is a good chance that you’re not going to make it back.”

Video shared by China Central Television (CCTV) on Tuesday showed Peng with ice covering his face and clothes while drifting in the clouds. However, parts of the video appear to be AI-generated; all of the footage is being investigated for authenticity by CNN. We are seeking further information from Peng Yujiang, but he has not responded to our request.

The video was originally published by another paragliding pilot, Gu Zhimin, who was said to have released the clip “without permission, causing negative impacts,” according to China’s state-run Global Times. He has been punished with a six-month flight suspension and ordered to write a reflection report, per Global Times.

Peng – who has been paragliding for more than four years and is a certified B-level paraglider which requires at least 20 days of flight experience, per CCTV – was also issued a 6-month suspension for failing to register his flight.

He was already planning on a break from flying, according to his interview with CCTV. “As soon as I came out of the clouds, I was very excited because I had survived. The scariest moment was when I tried to pull out of the spiral and failed and when the canopy nosedived. It’s still frightening to think about,” Peng told CCTV. “I’m not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won’t fly for a while,” he said.