Man dies in Springville hang gliding accident


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SPRINGVILLE -- A man died in Utah County Monday when he crashed a powered hang glider into a utility line.

Kent Warren's friends call him a daredevil. When he started paragliding 25 years ago he suffered a devastating fall, but it didn't stop him.

"He fell about 200 feet and broke all his bones," said friend Ernie parkin. "There wasn't anything stopping him."

This time, Warren's newly-bought motorized glider killed him.

Springville police say the 59-year-old Warren was trying to take off from the field at Springville Junior High School. His son Sam caught the whole thing on video.

According to Sam, Warren felt certain he could clear the power lines at the edge of the athletic field.

As soon as he left the ground, he clipped a line and was thrown down onto the asphalt and died on impact.

"Just before the power lines, he got up just enough to catch them," Sam said. "He tangled himself up in there, and just fell straight down. It was pretty quick."

Police say he had just recently purchased the aircraft.

The FAA is also investigating the accident.

E-mail: niyamba@ksl.com

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