26-Yr-old tourist dies after falling from tandem paraglider at Bir-Billing

himachaleditor November 11, 2026 2 minutes read

Shimla, Nov 11

A 26-year-old tourist from Greater Noida died after falling from a tandem paraglider mid-air during a flight at the internationally renowned Bir-Billing paragliding site in Kangra district on Tuesday evening. The police have registered a case against the pilot and initiated an investigation to establish the circumstances leading to the fatal incident.

The deceased, identified as Shubham Dobliyal, was employed with a government petroleum company and was holidaying in Himachal Pradesh with his family. According to sources, he had taken a tandem flight with pilot Vinay Kumar when he fell approximately six minutes after take-off.

Shubham reportedly landed in a dense forest near the designated landing zone. The incident came to light after the pilot landed safely and informed other paragliders that his passenger had fallen during the flight. Rescue teams subsequently launched a search operation and located Shubham’s body in the forest during the night.

Kangra Superintendent of Police Kulbhushan Verma said the exact cause of the accident was yet to be established. He said investigators were examining whether the safety harness had become loose or snapped during the flight or whether the passenger had fallen while the pilot was performing aerial manoeuvres.

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The SP said a detailed investigation was necessary to ascertain the actual sequence of events. The police have registered a case against the pilot and are examining the circumstances surrounding the flight.

The fatal incident has once again brought the safety of tandem paragliding operations under scrutiny at Bir-Billing, which attracts a large number of domestic and international adventure tourists. The investigation is expected to examine the condition of the harness and other safety equipment, the pilot’s conduct and compliance with prescribed flying protocols.

The concern over paragliding safety has also been reinforced by a separate incident at Tando in neighbouring Mandi district, where a Russian paraglider pilot recently became entangled in high-tension transmission wires during a flight from Bir-Billing. He was subsequently rescued with the help of a crane and emergency response teams.