A paraglider plunged to his death after his lines became "twisted", according to reports.
The unidentified man was flying over the outskirts of Leeds when the tragedy took place at around 7pm on Tuesday.
He was about to land when he came crashing down into a field near Tong Garden Centre in Bradford, sources said.
He died in the wreckage of his glider, despite desperate efforts by paramedics and his friend, who had landed safely, to revive him.
A source said: “They were said to be flying pretty low. That meant when he got into difficulties, he didn't have time to deploy the emergency chute.
“Shortly before the accident he was said to have performed a manoeuvre that caused the lines to become twisted.
“Sadly, he fell to his death seconds later as his horrified friend watched on helplessly.
"He told me ‘I looked back and saw him drop like a stone’."
The victim went into a 'spiral' as he plummeted down to the ground, a source said.
They added: "(The other paraglider) immediately ran over towards where he fell and told someone on the field to ring an ambulance before he even saw what happened.
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"We won't be able to determine how it happened until we get his wing back from an inspection.”
Friends said the victim was a “born again” paraglider who started flying 15 years ago.
However, he had taken a six year break and only returned to the sport a year or so ago, his pals claimed.
They believed his skills might have been slightly rusty and human error must have been to blame for the crash - as flying conditions were perfect.
As emergency services raced to the scene, the victim was found fatally injured in a field.
Air ambulance medics arrived to find the man fatally injured.
Investigations by West Yorkshire Police and Crime Scene Investigators were carried out throughout the night, witnesses said.
West Yorkshire Police added: “At 7.31pm yesterday (Tuesday), police received a request from the ambulance service to assist with an incident involving a paramotor which had crashed in Tong Lane, Bradford.
"The male was sadly pronounced deceased at the scene.
"Enquiries at the scene suggested there were no suspicious circumstances and a file has been prepared for the Coroner.
"The British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association will be leading the investigation into the matter.”
