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A false alarm sent Menlo Park firefighters searching for a crashed paraglider on Saturday, Jan. 17, according to a pilot who witnessed the initial incident. The search was called off after the paraglider landed safely in Palo Alto.
According to a pilot in the plane that made the report, a powered paraglider was seen flying dangerously above the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park.
Orlando Nell, a student pilot who was aboard a plane flying into San Carlos Airport, told this news organization that he and another pilot saw a powered paraglider flying erratically and creating a hazard around noon on Saturday. Their report somehow was miscommunicated, leading first responders to believe there was a crashed aircraft near SLAC’s sprawling 426-acre campus, located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park.
“The individual was operating at multiple altitudes, both significantly below us and later above us, while maneuvering unpredictably in busy airspace near San Carlos Airport,” said Nell.
Powered paragliders, which typically include a paraglider wing and a motor, are classified as ultralight aircraft. According to FAA regulations, ultralights are not allowed to fly in Class D, and some parts of Class E, airspace without prior approval.
Nell said they were concerned that the paraglider pilot was flying in restricted Class E and Class D airspace near San Carlos Airport without communicating with air traffic control and without a transponder.
As a result of the emergency call, firefighters from Menlo Park, Woodside and Cal Fire spent over an hour searching SLAC’s campus and Stanford University’s nearby Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve for a downed aircraft. Fire officials had staged ambulances and used a drone and several helicopters to try to locate the paraglider. Menlo fire officials also requested assistance from the California Highway Patrol.
At 1:29 p.m., fire crews learned that the craft had landed safely at Palo Alto Airport. No injuries were reported
Representatives of San Carlos Airport and the FAA could not immediately be reached for comment.
This story is an update to a previous article on the Jan. 17 incident.
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