Idaho paraglider dies outside Horseshoe Bend. He was newly licensed but ‘experienced’
A man died in a paragliding accident in Horseshoe Bend, according to the Boise County Sheriff’s Office.
Mark Matsuyama, 31, of McCall, was killed Wednesday morning at the Horseshoe Bend Flight Park, west of the town of Horseshoe Bend, according to Sheriff Scott Turner and county Coroner Pam Garlock.
In an apparent accident, Matsuyama “went into a spin and was unable to negotiate out of it and hit the rocks near the (Payette) River out there in front of the flight park,” the sheriff said.
The Horseshoe Bend Flight Park offers tandem paragliding flights and pilot training, among other things, according to its website.
The Sheriff’s Office received a call and responded to the incident at about 10:10 a.m., Turner said. The Garden Valley Fire Department also responded.
Matsuyama was pronounced dead at the scene. Though he was a newly licensed pilot, he was an “experienced” paraglider, Turner said.
The crash is under investigation, the sheriff added.
On Facebook, the Payette Lakes Ski Club, a winter recreation school and facility in McCall, posted about Matsuyama on Thursday.
“Mark Matsuyama was a beloved and helpful member of our Little Ski Hill team,” the club wrote. “You were a joy to work with and you will be missed by so many of us. Your sweet soul was a perfect fit in our village of winter enthusiasts.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2021 at 6:02 PM.
