An errant hang glider pilot who became trapped in a 50-foot tree Tuesday was rescued when a California Highway Patrol officer was lowered from a helicopter and brought the pilot down unhurt, authorities said.
At 11:21 a.m. the Milpitas Fire Department responded to a call about a hang glider pilot trapped in a eucalyptus tree along a hillside at Ed Levin Park County in Milpitas, according to Milpitas spokesman Sean Simonson.
Firefighters arrived and saw the pilot stuck in the tree, which was about 50 feet high, Simonson said.
A CHP rescue helicopter was dispatched and reached the scene at 12:30 p.m., Simonson said.
A CHP officer was lowered by a line and reached the pilot, who was secured to the line and both were finally lowered to a road at the park, Simonson said.
Paramedics who evaluated the pilot and found that the victim was not injured, Simonson said.
Rescuers say this was one of, if not the most, difficult rescues they have ever done.
Those who also responded to the emergency included two rangers from Santa Clara County Parks, a county sheriff's deputy, Rural Metro Ambulance and the San Jose Fire Department, Simonson said.
