Paraglider rescued from Te Mata Peak cliff has no memory of the 'oh s...' moment

Ken Knightingale, the paraglider rescued from Te Mata Peak, has no recollection of what happened. Video / Warren Buckland

A Napier man rescued after plunging 100 metres down the cliff face of Te Mata Peak while paragliding has no memory of what happened.

Ken Nightingale said the last image in his mind was of another paraglider launching ahead of him on Tuesday, but the terrifying midair moments before hitting the maunga elude him.

"The next thing I remember is waking up in the chopper.

"I have no recollection of the 'oh s... moment'."

Ken Nightingale said he was in "reasonably fine condition" after a paragliding accident off Te Mata Peak. Photo / Warren Buckland

Read More

• Paraglider injured in Havelock North after 'very unfortunate series of events' - NZ Herald
• Watch: Hawke's Bay rescue drama, man in his 60s winched off Te Mata Peak by helicopter now stab...

Emergency services were called to the accident at the popular launching site about 4.40pm on Tuesday with the rescue helicopter airlifting Nightingale off the ledge about 5.30pm.

Speaking from Hawke's Bay Hospital on Friday morning, Nightingale said he was adjusting to life with crutches, a few broken ribs, and what he described as a "mildly punctured lung".

"[I have] a few scrapes here and there which you'd fully expect.

The rescue helicopter nears an injured paraglider on Te Mata Peak on Tuesday evening. Photo / Warren Buckland

"All in all I'm in reasonably fine condition."

The motorcycle safety instructor said he'd had his fair of bike accidents but had never had a similar incident while paragliding.

He also understands the dynamics at play when flying, having held a pilot's licence for 10 years and flown model aeroplanes for 15 years after that.

"I've been flying all my life."

While he's been paragliding for about six years, he's found it more difficult since move to Hawke's Bay from Auckland.

"The flying issues here are different. I found the flying opportunities a lot more limited."

Due to working on weekends when most other flyers are keen, he jumped at the chance when a few others were looking at the weather conditions on Tuesday.

"The average John public watching a paraglider doesn't know what's going on.

"People think you walk off but you actually don't. You're in the air way before you take off."

Emergency services were called to the accident at the popular launching site about 4.40pm on Tuesday with the rescue helicopter airlifting the man off the ledge about 5.30pm. Photo / Warren Buckland

Taking a stab in the dark at what happened, he said there had been "the occasional puff of breeze from the left".

He believes as he launched it came through a bit stronger, collapsing his left wing while his right remained inflated, sending him into a spiral and into the cliff face.

"That is the risk spot.

"If this had happened at 100 feet or 200 feet up I probably wouldn't have had any problems but this happened very close to the ground."

Nightingale said he had mostly blocked what happened out but understood a member of the public had climbed down to help him.

"I have climbed that hill before and that is a very scary climb, so they were very brave."

He was also a "big supporter" of the rescue helicopter and thanked their crews for attending.

While he still faces several weeks of recovery and would likely need a new helmet, he didn't seem put off of flying from the experience.