Jetpack Inventor Franky Zapata Injured After Plunging 50 feet During Flying Stunt

Jetpack inventor Franky Zapata recently suffered a horror crash after falling 50 feet while giving a demonstration of his homemade device called Flyboard. According to BBC, Mr Zapata crashed into a lake in the town of Biscarrosse in France. He was taking part in an exhibition event when he appeared to lose control of his invention and fell into the lake. 

In video footage posted on social media, Mr Zapata is seen taking off impressively before flying out over the lake, with the board taking him higher and higher. However, seconds later, the board appeared to lose power all of a sudden, following which Mr Zapata came hurtling down, crashing into the water below.  

Following the incident, the French inventor was rushed to the hospital immediately by emergency services. Citing French media outlet Sud Ouest, BBC reported that the 40-year-old was conscious as he was pulled from the lake. 

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Officials also informed that Mr Zapata was showing “good sensitivity and motor skills” while under observation in the hospital. Separately, taking to Twitter, the French inventor also assured his fans that he is “doing well” and said that the incident reminded him that “we are not birds”. 

As per the media outlet, Mr Zapata, nicknamed “the flying man” by Frech media, had been due to perform several times over the course of the weekend. However, in the wake of the horrifying accident, his appearances were cancelled, Biscarosse mayor Hélène Larrezet told local media.

Franky Zapata rose to fame after crossing the English channel on his device in 2019. The same year he even performed a flight during the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris and was filmed holding a rifle and flying above the crowds. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, had applauded the Flyboard as it passed overhead. 

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French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said the technology could be used to create flying soldiers that could take to the battlefields in the future. He was later also granted £1.26 million by France's Ministry of Defence to help develop the board.