Storm whips paraglider to heights of 32,000 ft:
Wisnerska, from Germany, was preparing for the 10th World Paragliding Championships above the town of Manilla in New South Wales when the storm struck on Wednesday.With terrifying speed she was whisked from 2,500 ft to an estimated 32,000 ft in about 15 minutes.
42-year-old Chinese paraglider, He Zhongpin, was also caught in the storm and died, apparently from a lack of oxygen and extreme cold.
His body was found nearly 50 miles from where he had taken off. Wisnerska said she encountered hailstones the size of oranges as the temperature dropped to minus 58 degrees fahrenheit.
“I was shaking all the time. The last thing I remember it was dark. I could hear lightning all around me,” she said.
Her ordeal was recorded by global positioning and a radio attached to her equipment.
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Wisnerska landed safely 40 miles from her original launch site with ice in her lightweight flying suit and frost bite to her face.