Temporary closure of Kuala Kubu Bharu paragliding site - MSAF

KUALA LUMPUR: The paragliding site in Bukit Batu Pahat, Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor, has been temporarily closed for three weeks, to enable improvements to be carried out on the standard operating procedures (SOPs), following a fatal incident involving a paraglider who crashed into a tree yesterday.

Malaysian Sports Aviation Federation (MSAF) president, Mohd Nurhaqimy Mohd Ismail, said the preliminary investigation by the MSAF special team found that at the time of the incident, the weather was good and the paragliding equipment used was well maintained and in satisfactory condition.

"However, the MSAF special investigation team found that there is room for improvement, especially in terms of SOPs at the site," he said in a statement here today.

"In this regard, the MSAF has ordered a temporary closure of the Kuala Kubu Bharu paragliding site for three weeks to allow for the fine-tuning of the SOPs, to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Yesterday, paraglider Mohammad Farhad Khalid, 44, was killed while paragliding at Bukit Batu Pahat in Kuala Kubu Bharu.

Mohd Nurhaqimy said that Muhammad Farhad was an advanced pilot licence holder, certified by MSAF, as well as having experience of at least 200 flights since its inception in 2020.

He said that the MSAF was deeply saddened by the fatal accident and conveyed its condolences to the victim's family.

The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department took two hours to lower the victim, from Subang Jaya, due to the height and location of the tree at 12.19 metres.

Several Orang Asli who were at the crash site had climbed up the tree and secured the victim with lines from the paraglider to ensure that he did not fall.

However, Mohammad Farhad was pronounced dead at the scene by the medical team.

-- BERNAMA