Paramotor pilot fatally injured in Washington County crash

• The victim has been identified as YouTuber Grant Thompson. For an updated story, click here.

ST. GEORGE, Utah, July 30, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — The body of a missing paramotor operator was recovered Tuesday morning in Washington County.

On Monday evening, family members reported an overdue paramotor, according to a statement from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

“The pilot was reported as leaving the Dixie Springs subdivision near Sand Hollow State Park. The caller reported the pilot was overdue by one hour and they were unable to reach him on his cellular phone.”

Officers with the Hurricane Police Department and the Bureau of Land Management responded to the incident based on where the pilot departed from. The caller was able to provide GPS coordinates for where the paraglider’s phone was at 9 p.m.

“Volunteers with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue and a Life Flight helicopter were requested to assist in locating the pilot. Dispatchers were able to obtain an updated GPS location of the pilots cell phone. As the helicopter approached the area, they were able to locate the pilot’s body.”

The Life Flight crew landed and confirmed the paramotor operator was deceased. The victim was described as a 38-year-old Hurricane resident. His name is being withheld pending notification of family members.

The para-motor equipment and a video recording device were recovered. Officials are reviewing the video “to determine factors which led to the aircraft crash,” the statement said.