The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Saturday morning that 34-year-old Eric McAuliffe from Rocklin had been killed in a paragliding accident in Truckee on February 14.
They found the crash site in a wooded area near Royal Way and Cavalier Rise. This area is a wooded area with little to no population in the eastern part of Truckee.
They believe that McAuliffe collided with a cliff face around 3:45 p.m. Friday afternoon. A spokesperson for the Truckee Tahoe Airport indicated that the paraglider had been experiencing difficulties around 3:30 p.m.
Responding to the scene were crews from the Truckee Fire Protection District. They had to airlift McAuliffe out of the densely wooded area so that medical personnel could begin working on him.
McAuliffe died as a result of his injuries.
Paragliding is a sport that is growing in popularity. With an increase in popularity comes an increase in injury potential. Broken bones and free-falling accidents are high among the paragliding communities.
Proper training and education in the protocols and maneuvers of using a paraglider are important in reducing the risk of injury or death while paragliding.
The Federal Aviation Commission noted that the paraglider and McAuliffe were unregistered. They are currently involved in the ongoing investigation alongside the National Transportation Safety Board.
Officials are not sure where McAuliffe took off from or where his intended destination with the paraglider was. He did not have a flight plan registered so determining anything about the flight is all speculation at this time until the investigation is done.
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