A Chinese paraglider recorded an incredible video of himself after has was unintentionally lifted to an altitude of 28,000 feet (8,500 meters) during a routine equipment check in the Qilian Mountains of north-west China.
Peng Yujiang, 55, was testing a recently purchased second-hand paraglider at an elevation of around 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) when he encountered a rare and powerful thermal updraft, commonly known as a “cloud suck.” According to a report by the Gansu Provincial Aviation Sports Association, he had no intention of taking flight and had not registered a flight plan.
Roughly 20 minutes into his test, Peng was pulled more than 16,500 feet (5,000 meters) higher, reaching altitudes comparable to commercial flight paths and approaching the height of Mount Everest. A camera mounted on his glider captured the ascent, showing Peng surrounded by cloud cover and covered in ice as temperatures dropped to -31 degrees Fahrenheit (-35 degrees Celsius).
“It was terrifying… Everything was white. I couldn’t see any direction. Without the compass, I wouldn’t have known which way I was going. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning,” Peng tells the China Media Group, per the BBC.
In a separate video recorded after landing, Peng adds: “My hands were frozen outside. I kept trying to talk on the radio.”
Peng, who has around five years of paragliding experience, attempted to descend but was unsuccessful. A Chinese sports bureau report says he became disoriented at high altitude and may have briefly lost consciousness. He remained airborne for over an hour before managing to land approximately 19 miles (30 kilometers) from his starting point, where he was met by two friends.
One of those friends, Gu Zhimin, stayed in radio contact with Peng throughout the ordeal. Zhimin later shared footage of the flight on Douyin, China’s domestic equivalent of TikTok, where it quickly went viral. The video drew widespread attention and a mix of awe and concern online.
Authorities acknowledged the incident was accidental. “A normal person cannot be exposed at 8,000 meters without oxygen [so] this is not something that can be done voluntarily,” a sports bureau official said, according to Sixth Tone. Nevertheless, Peng has been suspended from paragliding for six months for failing to register the activity.
The report also states that Zhumin was penalized for posting the video without permission. “Gu Zhimin posted a flight video without permission, which had a bad impact,” it says. He was similarly grounded for six months and instructed to write a report reflecting on his actions.
Despite suggestions from viewers that Peng may have broken altitude records, officials clarified that any record would not be recognized due to the flight’s unauthorized nature. The current world record for altitude in paragliding, set in 2007 by German pilot Ewa Wiśnierska, stands at 32,631 feet (9,946 meters).
Wiśnierska also survived an extreme updraft during a flight in Australia, spending nearly 40 minutes unconscious before safely landing and later discovering the height she had reached.
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