Paragliding accident in São Conrado results in fatality.
Young Priscila Boliveira, 24, died after falling 20 meters after taking off for a paragliding flight late Sunday afternoon at Pepino beach in Rio's South Zone; the São Conrado Free Flight Club, responsible for the instruction, will investigate the facts, but police suspect equipment failure.
Rio_247 - Priscila Boliveira, 24, from Bahia, died after a paragliding accident in São Conrado, South Zone of Rio, late Sunday afternoon (25). She fell from a height of about 20 meters. Police suspect equipment failure and will carry out an investigation of the paraglider and safety harnesses to try to understand the accident. The São Conrado Free Flight Club suspended activities for three days, in mourning for the death of the nutritionist.
Priscila died instantly. She was the sister of actor Fabricio Boliveira, who acted in the film "Elite Squad 2" and in the soap operas "Favorita" and "Sinhá Moça". He was on São Conrado beach and witnessed the accident that killed Priscila. Priscila was not tied at the waist or legs, only having rope around her arms.
According to witnesses, the paraglider gained a lot of speed and the young woman screamed loudly when she lost control of the aircraft. Alan Ferreira, the instructor responsible for Priscila's flight, gave a statement at the 15th Police Station (Gávea). He managed to bring the paraglider to the sand and was not injured.
One of the directors of the São Conrado Free Flight Club, Vinícius Cordeiro, said that the institution will establish a committee of experts to investigate what happened.
On Sunday night (25), the instructor's lawyer, Alan Figueiredo, Marco Aurélio Gomes Araújo, upon leaving the 15th DP (Gávea), said that the instructor saw something wrong with Priscila's safety equipment seconds after takeoff. He also said that the pair had already fallen before jumping and that is why there were two takeoffs. According to the lawyer, the instructor has 12 years of experience.
The club's press office regretted the incident and claimed it was "an accident." The club stated that "the incident rate is very low. All instructors take all necessary precautions for people's safety. An accident like this has never happened before."
Friends believe there was a security breach.
Friends of the victim believe there was equipment failure. According to witnesses, she was not restrained by her legs or waist.