A man in a hang glider who crashed in rugged terrain on the west side of the Catalina Mountains Sunday afternoon has recreationists as well as first responders to thank for his rescue.
The 48-year-old man crashed near the Sutherland Trail in Catalina State Park at about 4:45 p.m. after a failed attempt to launch from a new ramp, said Deputy Tom Peine, spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD). The man suffered injuries to an arm and shoulder.
Two U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopters were dispatched as well as members of the Golder Ranch Fire District, PCSD search and rescue unit and a volunteer rescue group. Because the terrain was so rough, the rescue helicopter could not land at the site and emergency vehicles could not reach the man.
“Luckily there were some citizens out there from some kind of 4-x-4 club,” Peine said. “They put rescuers on ATVs and they were able to get them to within 20 minute hiking distance from the crash site.”
Once the injured man was secured in a litter, a helicopter hoisted him and flew to a landing area where he was placed inside the chopper and flown to a Tucson hospital, Peine said.
