Brit is arrested after fatal mid-air collision with another paraglider which sent both men crashing on to a hotel roof in Turkey
- Thomas Aitken, 45, was reportedly detained by police after the fatal collision
- They both crashed and fell on a hotel roof before landing on the edge of a pool
A British man has been arrested in Turkey after a fatal mid-air collision with another paraglider that sent both men plummeting on to a hotel roof.
Thomas Aitken, 45, is said to have been detained by police after 30-year-old Orkut Baysal died following their mid-air disaster.
The horror crash amid windy conditions happened in Turkey’s Fethiye district, in the province of Mugla, on Sunday.
Baysal, who was in the Turkish national paragliding team, had jumped from 1,700m above sea level – more than a mile – when the disaster struck, local reports said.
He had jumped with fellow Turkish national paraglider Andac Ünsal, 45, as part of a tandem flight at the same time that Aitken was carrying out a solo jump.
Thomas Aitken, 45, is said to have been detained by police after 30-year-old Orkut Baysal (pictured) died following their mid-air disaster
Baysal died from multiple injuries inflicted by the horror mid-air disaster. He is pictured in a previous jump
During the professional paragliders’ descent, Baysal and Aitken collided, with both men plummeting on to a hotel roof before landing on the edge of the resort’s swimming pool.
Some reports in Turkish media say that the two parachutes became entangled in the collision just 65ft (around 20m) off the ground.
Local police and medics were sent to the crash site, with the injured paragliders taken to the Fethiye State Hospital for treatment.
But Baysal died from multiple injuries inflicted by the horror mid-air disaster. His body has since been taken to the morgue at the state hospital.
Both Aitken and Ünsal were reportedly hurt, but not with life-threatening injuries.
It is understood that Aitken was subsequently detained in police custody pending the outcome of the investigation.
Turkish police are investigating the cause of the collision and whether there was any negligence by those involved.
Orkut Baysal, 30, in undated photo. Two paragliders collided during landing in Fethiye, Turkey
Professional paraglider Orkut Baysal, 30, died after a collision during a landing in Fethiye last week
The deadly incident has reportedly raised questions regarding safety regulations and practices in the paragliding community.
The investigation is ongoing.