Innes Powell and Igor Volov from Ukraine were both fatally injured after falling to ground

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A respected British paraglider has died after colliding in midair with another pilot during a competition in Macedonia.

Innes Powell, 54, and Igor Volov, a 56-year-old Ukrainian, collided before the final race of the British Open in Kruševo on Friday.

Both men were fatally injured after falling to the ground after the collision, which happened at around midday.

Volov was declared dead at the scene while Powell died in a nearby hospital following resuscitation attempts, Macedonian police said.

Tributes were paid to the British pilot by the Isle of Wight Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club (IOWHGPC), where he trained.

A club statement said: “It is with regret that the IOWHGPC has been informed of a recent incident that took place at the British Open Paragliding Competition in Kruševo, Macedonia where tragically Innes Powell was killed.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Innes Powell, the British paraglider who has died.

“The members and committee send their sincere and deep condolences to Sarah, Rosie and his family. Our thoughts are with them all at this dreadful time.”

Powell was a well-known instructor who had decades of experience in competitive flying.

He was hailed as a hero for risking his life to save another paraglider when she crashed into a cliff ledge – a daring rescue that was retold in an episode of the 2008 Discovery Channel series True Heroes.

On Friday, he was travelling through a thermal air column when he first swung into Volov, according to Cross Country magazine.

The pair managed to separate but were propelled into contact again “much harder”, a pilot quoted by the magazine said.

Powell did not open his reserve parachute and landed on a path below, where he was still conscious when paramedics reached him, it was reported.

He had suffered devastating internal injuries along with a broken shoulder, pelvis and ribs, the magazine said.

The Ukrainian pilot, who was not a competitor, reportedly opened his reserve chute and landed in a tree. He was dead by the time rescuers arrived.

The competition had been on its final day and was halted after the crash.

A statement on the British Paragliding Competitions website said: “It is with great sadness that the British Paragliding Competitions Panel have to announce the death of Innes Powell and Igor Volov in the final task of the British Open in Kruševo on Friday 17 August 2018.

“Our deep condolences go to the families and friends of the two pilots. The pilots’ families have been informed. We will release more details in due course.”

The British Open championship was held between 11 August and 17 August at Kruševo, described on the competition website as “paragliding mecca”.