Jianhua Li: fatal accident at PWC Bulgaria

Jianhua Li has died at the Paragliding World Cup in Sopot, Bulgaria. The pilot, who was part of a new generation of up-and-coming pilots in China, lost his life during the second task of the event.

In a statement, organisers said: “It is with profound sadness that we say goodbye to our friend and fellow pilot, Jianhua Li. For many in our community, Jianhua will be a familiar face. An established competition pilot, he participated in numerous competitions around the world over the years, sharing the sky with so many of us and becoming a valued part of the international paragliding community.”

In a lengthy follow-up statement issued to us, Goran Dimiskovski, president of the PWCA, said: “According to eyewitness accounts and the available tracklog data, Jianhua Li was on glide when he suffered an asymmetrical collapse on the left side of the wing, resulting in approximately a 40% cravat on the left side. This was followed by two turns to the left, after which he deployed his reserve parachute. These details are consistent with the flight data extracted from the available tracklog.

“At 14:06, we received a phone call from a pilot in the air who had witnessed the incident. He provided the precise location and confirmed that Jianhua’s reserve had deployed correctly and that, at that point, his descent rate did not appear unusual. The pilot’s crucial observation was that Jianhua then disappeared from view between the trees.

“This was subsequently consistent with what we saw through our live tracking system. The live track disappeared approximately 120m above the ground, based on the topographic map and the altitude information available to us. Analysis of the tracklog showed a descent rate between approximately 4 and 6 m/s up to the point where the tracking signal disappeared.

“We immediately alerted and activated the on-site safety team. After assessing the position and determining that the location was inaccessible on foot, the rescue team called the helicopter, and the rescue operation began.”

The rescue proved difficult with the terrain inhospitable. A six-man team ultimately located Jianhua on the mountain, but found he had already died.

Jianhua had been competing since 2020, initially in China, and he rose rapidly in the sport, finishing 3rd at the 2024 China Paragliding Open. Since 2024 he has made several appearances at international competitions, flying in various national opens such as the British, Norwegian, Belgian and Hungarian Opens.

Prior to the Bulgaria PWC he took part in the British and Dutch Championships, where he came 25th. He was listed as flying a Niviuk X-One and Ozone Submarine during the PWC and finished 34th on the first task.

“He has been flying about eight years, progressed quite quickly when he started. He was one of the talented younger generation of pilots in China,” a friend said.

Organisers of the PWC have been under intense pressure lately over the sport’s safety record following fatalities. Last year the community was hit hard by the deaths of Bram Declercq who passed away on 16 September, 2025 while competing at the FAI World Championships in Castelo, Brazil. Turkish pilot Cengiz Kalyoncu also died during the Paragliding World Cup in Aksaray, Turkey.

In their statement, PWC organisers said: “It is difficult to comprehend that yesterday, while flying the task alongside us, we lost Jianhua. His loss is deeply felt by all of us at the Paragliding World Cup. Beyond results, rankings and nationalities, our sport brings together a relatively small community of people who meet again and again around the world, on launches, in the air and at goal. Losing one of those people leaves an absence that is difficult to put into words. Our deepest condolences go to Jianhua’s family and loved ones, his friends, his fellow pilots, and the entire Chinese paragliding community. We will remember Jianhua with great respect, and we are grateful for all the skies we had the privilege of sharing with him.”

The Bulgarian authorities have initiated a formal legal investigation into the accident. There were three reserves thrown during the task but Goran added: “One further point that we believe is important for the context is that, prior to the accident, we had not received a single pilot report indicating problematic or abnormal conditions in the air. There were therefore no pilot reports indicating that conditions were presenting a particular problem at the time. We believe these details are important to understand the actual sequence of events, the immediate response following the incident, and the extremely difficult terrain in which Jianhua came to rest.”