**Peng Yujiang’s accidental ascent leads to investigation and a six-month suspension.**
**Chinese Paraglider Survives Incredible 8,500m Flight After Strong Updraft**
**Chinese Paraglider Survives Incredible 8,500m Flight After Strong Updraft**
**A thrilling yet terrifying journey into the sky for a paraglider testing his equipment.**
In a miraculous survival story, Peng Yujiang, a 55-year-old paraglider from China, inadvertently found himself soaring to an astonishing height of 8,500 meters (27,800 feet) during an unplanned flight over the Qilian mountains in north-west China. Initially testing parachute equipment at an altitude of 3,000 meters, Mr. Peng was caught in an unexpected updraft popularly known as "cloud suck", sending him 5,000 meters higher into a dense cloud formation.
The entire harrowing experience was captured on camera attached to Mr. Peng's glider and quickly spread across social media platforms like Douyin, China’s equivalent of TikTok. In the footage, viewers could see Mr. Peng, with his face and body coated in ice crystals, clutching the glider's controls as he battled the disorienting conditions. "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," he recounted to China Media Group.
At such high altitudes, where air pressure is significantly reduced, survival becomes precarious as oxygen levels drop. Compounding the danger, temperatures can plummet to -40 degrees Celsius. Desperate to descend, Mr. Peng reported feeling increasingly helpless as the winds carried him further into the clouds. He acknowledged the frightening moments as he struggled to regain control amidst the spiraling chaos.
In response to this incident, Chinese authorities have launched an investigation, and Mr. Peng faces a six-month suspension due to the unauthorized nature of his flight. According to the state-run Global Times, Mr. Peng had intended only to momentarily test the fit and comfort of his parachute on the ground, with no plans to take off that day. However, strong gusts lifted him and ultimately led to his nerve-wracking adventure in the sky.
