A Swiss adventurer hoping to become the first person to fly between continents with a jet engine strapped to his back crashed into the sea today while trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.
Yves Rossy, who successfully jetted across the English Channel in 2008 using his engine and solo wing, ran into trouble shortly after he was launched from a light aeroplane above the Moroccan coast in a bid to reach Spain, his support team said.
Wearing a flame-retardant suit, Rossy jumped from a plane at 6,500ft and was intending to use his four-cylinder jet pack to power the carbon fibre wing at speeds of up to 180mph across the 23 miles from outside Tangier in Morocco to Atlanterra in southern Spain.
A search and rescue team codenamed Falcon 1, involving former special forces members, winched him to safety.
The jet wing weighed about 150lb with fuel and included four simple, kerosene-burning jet turbines to keep him airborne and propel him.
Created from a lightweight carbon composite, the wing had no steering devices, meaning he had to use his head and back to control the movement. He was fitted with a special suit, helmet and parachute to protect him from the jet turbines mounted just inches from him on the wing.
Video provided by the team showed the 50-year-old initially soaring though clouds before cutting to images of him bobbing near his parachute in the sea and finally being hoisted into a helicopter.
"I would like to say thank you that I am here, still a little bit wet, but I am here," said Rossy.
"Thereafter I am also a little bit disappointed because I like to go to the goal and my goal was the beach.
"I came not to the beach but I am also happy that I had the opportunity to try and I did my best.
"All the team did their best and again, thank you for that."
Rossy blamed the failure on problems navigating through clouds which were larger than expected and turbulent conditions.
He said his wing was "not easy to fly" and the clouds added to the difficulties.
"Unstable at this height that's no playing any more," he said.
"So I did throw away the wing and opened my parachute.
"Thereafter it was the easy part because we did train yesterday."
The former fighter pilot was able to cut away the parachute and waited for what felt like a long time, he said, "because the water is cold".
Rossy said the aerodynamics on the wing were not "optimum" and added that he was working on an improved version. He said he wanted to continue his quest and hoped to try to complete the intercontinental challenge in the future.
Agencies