Briton is arrested after a deadly mid-air collision with another paraglider that sends both men crashing onto the roof of a hotel in Turkey
- Thomas Aitken, 45, was reportedly detained by police following the fatal hit-and-run
- They both crashed and fell onto the roof of a hotel before landing on the edge of a swimming pool
A British man has been arrested in Turkey after a fatal mid-air collision with another paraglider in which both men crashed onto the roof of a hotel.
Thomas Aitken, 45, was said to have been detained by police after 30-year-old Orkut Baysal died following their aerial disaster.
The horror crash amid windy conditions took place in Turkey’s Fethiye district, Mugla province, on Sunday.
Baysal, who was part of the Turkish national paragliding team, had jumped from 1,700 meters above sea level – more than a mile – when disaster struck, local reports said.
He had jumped with fellow Turkish national paraglider Andac Ünsal, 45, as part of a tandem flight at the same time Aitken was performing a solo jump.
Thomas Aitken, 45, reportedly detained by police after 30-year-old Orkut Baysal (pictured) died following their mid-air disaster
Baysal died of multiple injuries inflicted by the horror disaster in the sky. He is pictured in an earlier jump
During the descent of the professional paragliders, Baysal and Aitken collided, with both men falling onto the roof of a hotel before landing on the edge of the resort’s swimming pool.
Some Turkish media reports say the two parachutes got caught in the collision just 65 feet (about 20 meters) off the ground.
Local police and medics were dispatched to the scene of the crash and the injured paragliders were taken to Fethiye State Hospital for treatment.
But Baysal died from multiple injuries inflicted by the horror disaster in the sky. His body has since been taken to the state hospital mortuary.
Both Aitken and Ünsal were reportedly injured, but not with life-threatening injuries.
It is understood that Aitken was subsequently held in police custody pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Turkish police are investigating the cause of the collision and whether there was negligence on the part of those involved.
Orkut Baysal, 30, in undated photo. Two paragliders collided during landing in Fethiye, Turkey
Professional paraglider Orkut Baysal, 30, died last week after colliding while landing in Fethiye
The deadly incident has reportedly raised questions about safety regulations and practices in the paragliding community.
The investigation is ongoing.