India Shocked by Pune Paraglider Death in Bulgaria

Pre-World Paragliding Championship 2012 is taking place near the town of Sopot from 14 to 21 July 2012. File photo

The death of an Indian pilot, whose glider crashed in Bulgaria on Sunday, has shocked his relatives and friends, who say he was one of the best paragliders in his home country.

"His death comes as a big shock. I met him a couple of days before he left for Bulgaria and he was very excited about participating in the event. He was a senior and trained paraglider," said Eric Menezes, paragliding instructor and Kotecha's flying partner as cited by Times of India.

Dilip Kotecha, a 44-year-old topnotch paraglider from Pune, died a tragic death during a test event for the paragliding world championships in Bulgaria on Sunday.

Kotecha was flying 120 metres above terrain in Sopot, which is known to be the best paragliding and hang-gliding crosscountry flying spot in Bulgaria, when his glider collapsed and went into a spiral dive, the event organizers said in a statement.

He had problems with his rescue parachute too and landed hard on the ground. He died later from internal bleeding and injuries. Kotecha, a real-estate consultant, lived at Koregaon Park. He is survived by his wife and two children.

In 1995, Kotecha did a short-term course in paragliding, which was then a new sport in India. In 2000, he made it to his first preparagliding world championship (PWC) held in Bir in the Himalayas.

From 2004, he represented India in many international competitions and was ranked fifth in the country. He was also the first Indian to win on foreign soil in the pre-PWC held in Serbia in 2009.

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