The Swiss federation will investigate a "Swiss misadventure"

The Swiss Paddle and Paragliding Federation must investigate the circumstances surrounding the tandem hang gliding commercial flight to Interlaken that saw the American tourist Chris Gursky hanging

The "Swiss Mishap" video, which shows Gursky hanging on the bar of the hang gliding base while it was not well engaged, has become an international sensation.

Published on YouTube yesterday by Gursky, the clip was picked up by media worldwide and recorded over a million views during its first 24 hours online. It's poised to become the most-watched hang gliding video of all time on YouTube.

The story has also been featured on news sites and television channels around the world. The video shows that Gursky and his professional pilot take off normally before realizing that Gursky is not stuck. Gursky then hangs by the arms as the pilot steers the glider at full speed until an emergency landing in the field located in the valley below.

Identity of the driver has not been revealed publicly, although it is thought that he is an independent operator in Interlaken, not a pilot of any of the larger companies.

In a live message interview with Cross Country yesterday, pbadenger Chris Gursky said, "I really do not want this to be a negative thing for the pilot, I have gone beyond that phase. He did everything he could and more. It's a good guy. "

He continued," As long as everyone understands that I have posted this to show my experience and not to blame or hurt anyone. Especially the pilot. He stayed with [me] at the hospital and returned the next day. He is a man of heart. "

He added:" If I hovered again, I would have no problem flying with him. "

However, not everyone has been so lenient, many have called the pilot online to revoke his commercial tandem license."

It is extremely rare to meet a tandem pbadenger in hang-gliding , but it has already happened.In cases where the pbadenger was injured or killed, pilots were prosecuted and imprisoned.

Beni Stocker, Training and Security Office of the Swiss Confederation of paragliding and paragliding (SHV) in Zurich, said that the incident was obviously serious and that they would conduct an investigation.

time. "We got to know [about it] last night, the pilot not having filed EHPU incident report. "

When commercial and recreational gliding and paragliding pilots in Europe experience a" flight incident ", for example an accident In case of urgently, they are encouraged to clbadify incidents that have occurred in European database

In some countries, it is legally obligatory to clbadify them. They can be clbadified online using an online form and the goal is to increase safety throughout the sport by sharing information without judgment.

Stocker stated that there would be "surely" an investigation into the incident in Interlaken and that the SHV would like to speak to the driver involved. The main objective of the VHS would be to discover the failure of basic hang gliding procedures and the lessons to be learned for the future.

He said, "In principle, hang gliding is not a dangerous sport. Every year, there are thousands of commercial flights in tandem in Interlaken, without any incident. "

However, he added:" On the video, an error is clearly visible. This would never have happened.

"The pre-flight check is an elementary and important routine of each flight and forms part of the formation [basic]. It is really tragic that in this case it was obviously not done correctly.

Stocker praised the pilot's actions after take-off. "The pilot's reaction after takeoff was very good. Without any jerky movement – which would have resulted in a fatal outcome – he steered the glider as gently and as quickly as possible towards the landing. "

He adds:" Since it is a serious incident, we will continue the investigation. ", where the" Swiss misadventure "took place, is a popular site for commercial flights in tandem.It is estimated that about 40 000 tandem and paragliding flights are organized each year.