North Carolina paraglider triggers huge explosion after flying into live power lines above river

On a picturesque summer evening in North Dakota, a powered paraglider was flying through the air when disaster struck. 

With the sun in his eyes, he flew over a bridge above the Red River on the evening of July 8, only to strike the power lines hanging over the water. The collision triggered a massive explosion as the man and his equipment sank into the water.

The identity of the paraglider has not yet been revealed. 

Dusty Howlett was on a walk with his brother around 8:30 pm when he captured the incident on video and later posted it to TikTok. 

In a recent upload, he said that he loved power paragliders and ultra-light aircrafts like this one, and often took notice when he saw them flying around. 

On their walk, the brothers saw the aircraft a few times, and finally got a wave from the pilot as he flew over the water in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Just seconds later he collided with the power line with an explosive crackle.

As the pilot fell into the lake and Howlett watched in horror with a very mid-western: ‘Woah! Oh no! Oh geez!’

He, and other onlookers, immediately began yelling to the man in the water and Howlett called 911. He told the Grand Forks Herald, ‘My first instinct was to jump in the river and try to go after him, but I can’t swim, and everyone knows that even if you’re a good swimmer, you don’t want to jump in that river.’

Around 8:30 pm on Tuesday, July a witness capture a paraglider colliding with power lines, causing a shocking explosion

First responders arrived within minutes to pull the man out of the water

He said the Red River had a notoriously strong undercurrent, making it difficult to perform a successful amateur rescue. 

Fortunately, the body of the aircraft was light, and though it flipped upside down, it floated in the water. Soon, the man’s head popped up and he gave a thumbs up to the crowd, signaling that he was okay. 

‘It’s just a miracle that not only did he survive, but he was uninjured,’ Howlett said. 

Howlett said emergency services arrived within just a few minutes and quickly helped the man out of the water. 

Local first responders do a few water rescues each summer, since the city is located next to the Red River, and thoroughly train for all manner of water-based emergencies. 

Dusty Howlett (pictured) was on a walk with his brother when he captured the incident on video

But Scott Nicola, battalion chief at the Grand Forks Fire Department, said ‘this is going to probably be the first and last time’ that his team performed a water rescue on a paraglider. 

First responders reported that the man’s paraglider cords had gotten tangled around his foot and the accident could have been much worse. Had he hit his head or collided with the power lines with the body of the aircraft, the man could’ve drowned and died. 

Gliders are often temperamental to steer, as well, even if he’d spotted the powerline, he still may have been unable to avoid it. 

The local fire department advised that locals wishing to visit the Red River should use life jackets even when not directly in the water. Keeping flotation devices on hand while on the ground nearby or even above the water could prevent accidents like this one. 

Daily Mail contacted the Grand Forks Fire Department and Dusty Howlett for comment.