Glider crashes in downtown Reno, pilot parachutes to safety
Posted: April 6, 2015 - 3:30am
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- A glider crashed in downtown Reno on Sunday afternoon, but the pilot parachuted to safety.
Police say the pilot left Sunday morning from the Minden-Tahoe Airport, about 40 miles south of Reno, and was returning there when high winds sheared the wings from his glider about 2:30 p.m.
The pilot escaped with minor injuries, and was released after treatment at the scene.
The National Weather Service reports winds of about 35 mph at the time.
Police say the glider's fuselage landed in a parking lot next to the Easy 8 Motel and one of the wings landed just under a mile away at Dick Taylor Memorial Park. Police were searching for the other wing.
Easy 8 manager Raj Patel says he went outside after hearing a loud noise and saw the pilot land on the nearby roof of the multi-story parking garage of Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center.
The pilot's name wasn't immediately released.