A lady named age 56 Ritu Chopra who was paragliding crashed and died shortly
She started her journey from the Bir-Billing hills in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra on Sunday.
Ritu Chopra came to Bir-Billing with her husband Ashutosh. They had been married for 34 years. She had nine years of experience in paragliding. Ritu’s passing has sent shockwaves through her family, friends, and the paragliding community, prompting deep mourning and reflection on the critical need for enhanced safety measures in adventure sports.
Who is Ritu Chopra of Noida who died while paragliding in Himachal Pradesh, biography, age, family and husband
Ritu Chopra was a 56-year-old resident of Sector 25 in Noida. She was the wife of Ashutosh Chopra who is a retired Indian Air Force officer. They often visited Bir-Billing which is a famous paragliding spot. When Ritu’s paraglider crashed in the hills nearby, Ashutosh alerted officials, and a search team found her.
Ritu Chopra, wife of Group Captain Ashutosh Chopra (Retd) died in a Paraglider crash on April 07 at Bir Billing.
She was a great soul. I had known her for many years. We trained together on Paragliding adventure sport.
May her Soul Rest in Peace.
My heartfelt condolences 💐 pic.twitter.com/FiOVV9BQf8
— Danvir Singh दानवीर सिंह (@danvir_chauhan) April 8, 2024
She was taken to a nearby hospital, but doctors said she had passed away before reaching there. A member of a local paragliding group mentioned that Ritu was an experienced pilot who flew alone, unlike usual joyrides where experts accompany flyers.
Her husband revealed that Ritu had been paragliding for nine years. On the day of the accident, they both were flying. He was a bit higher than her. She was suddenly hit by strong air and the turbulence caused was quite severe. Her glider collapsed, and she fell onto a mountain slope. At that time, she was flying at about 9000 feet. Ritu Chopra’s tragic demise was ruled out upon her arrival at Baijnath Hospital.
Accompanied by her devastated husband, her body was transported to their hometown Noida via an Air Force helicopter. The untimely loss has spurred authorities to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
This heart-breaking event serves as a stark reminder of the inherent risks involved and the imperative of prioritizing precautionary measures to prevent such tragedies from recurring. Accidents during paragliding are common at Bir-Billing. During October 2023, two foreign pilots, one from Russia and the other from Poland along with an Indian trainee from Lucknow tragically lost their lives.