High-ranking Thai police officer dies in paramotor accident

A high-ranking Thai police officer died in a paramotor accident near the Ubol Ratana Dam in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand on Sunday.

At 4pm, staff at Ubol Ratana Hospital were informed that someone was seriously injured after a paramotor crash near a famous restaurant in Ban Non Sawan village in the Kluan Ubol Rat subdistrict.

Pol. Col. Nattadej Namamamat, Superintendent of Investigation at Provincial Police Region 4, was rushed to Ubol Ratana Hospital but succumbed to his injuries and passed away shortly after his arrival.

On Sunday, witnesses say that Nattadej turned with too much force causing the paramotor to lose balance and plummet to the ground.

Officers from Ubolratana Police Station inspected the scene and collected evidence to find the cause of the accident.

Police say that Superintendent Nattadej regularly spent evenings on the weekend paramotoring, flying at a height between eight and 10 metres.

Three weeks ago, a 47 year old Burmese man was pronounced dead after he crashed his paramotor in the central province of Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok.

Win Nyunt suffered severe injuries, including a broken left leg, broken ribs, and bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth. A broken 303cc paramotor, reported as brand new, was found near his body.

In January, a paramotor accident on Koh Larn island in Chon Buri left a teenage foreign tourist and Thai instructor seriously injured.

The paramotor got tangled in communication cables and both the instructor and 17 year old tourist sustained electric shocks.

The local electricity authority quickly shut off the power and rescue workers were called to untangle and retrieve the pair from on top of the power pole.

Paramotoring, also known as powered paragliding or PPG, is a form of aviation that involves a small motorised aircraft called a paramotor, which is worn like a backpack by the pilot.

The paramotor consists of a small gasoline engine and a propeller, which provide the necessary thrust for the pilot to take off and fly.

The pilot is also equipped with a paraglider, which is a lightweight, foot-launched canopy that is used for gliding and steering.

Paramotoring is a relatively new sport, originating in Europe in the late 1980s. It is considered a type of ultralight aviation regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States.

The sport is accessible as it can take place in open fields, beaches and even urban areas. However, like any form of aviation, paramotoring carries risks and can end badly.

Pilots must be aware of weather conditions and avoid flying in high winds or other hazardous conditions.