Antonis Kourras, 31, from Anagyia village in Nicosia, died instantly when his engine-powered paraglider crashed into rocks at a beach near Kiti yesterday morning.
The accident occurred around 8:30 AM whilst Kourras was flying at low altitude over the sea in the Parasolia area of Kiti with a friend who was operating a second paramotor.
Kourras and his friend had travelled to the Softades area, where they launched their motorised paragliders for a morning flight. Police report that both aircraft were flying over the coastal region when, under circumstances still being investigated, Kourras’s paramotor struck rocks located approximately five metres from the shoreline.
The violent impact killed the 31-year-old immediately. An ambulance was called to the scene and transported him to Larnaca General Hospital, where medical staff confirmed his death.
Members of Kiti Police Station responded to the scene alongside officials from the Committee on Aircraft Accidents and Incidents. The committee will examine the fatal paramotor – a type of powered aircraft with a petrol engine and rear propeller – to determine whether mechanical failure or other factors caused the crash.
The aviation safety committee will document its findings in a comprehensive report following the technical investigation.
Kiti Police are expected to take a statement from Kourras’s flying companion once he is able to provide testimony. Officers will seek to establish where the paragliders were obtained and whether the friend observed anything that might assist in determining the cause of the tragic accident.
The exact cause of death will be confirmed through a post-mortem examination.
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