An inquest has heard that a paraglider died in the Lake District after attempting a jump despite other pilots suggesting it was too windy.
Mountain rescuers from three Lakes teams, including Keswick, along with Cumbria police officers, responded to an incident on a fell above Buttermere, involving 31-year-old Fabian Walch, on June1 this year.
Mr Walch, from Germany, was found dead the following day.
An inquest into his death was formally opened at Cockermouth Coroners’ Court this morning.
Coroner Robert Cohen said: “The reported circumstances of Mr Walch’s death are that he had arranged a paraglide jump on June 1 2024. The people he went with turned around and suggested it was too windy for the jump to take place.
“Mr Walch went ahead with the jump nevertheless and was found the next day by friends of his.”
Rescuers from the Keswick, Cockermouth and Easdale teams had turned out to search for Mr Walch after a call was received on the morning of June 2.
He was reported to have launched from the summit of 737m fell Robinson.
A Keswick team stated that as their members were assembling, a paraglider canopy had been spotted in a gill above Buttermere.
“Members from the Keswick, Cockermouth and Wasdale teams converged on the location but tragically the pilot was declared dead at the scene,” said the spokesman.
“A complex recovery operation commenced to retrieve the man’s body. Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the man’s family and friends.”
Mr Cohen told today’s inquest it was appropriate that he should open an inquest into Mr Walch’s death. A statement of identification was formally admitted into evidence, and the hearing was adjourned to a preliminary date of November 7 this year.
- Mr Walch is the second paraglider to lose his life in the Lake District this year. Experienced pilot Malcolm Grout, a 63-year-old retired school teacher, died on February 25. An inquest opening the following month was told that he had been in collision with a cliff face on Blencathra.
