Paraglider had been skimming water before fatal crash

[IVY]

A Beech Grove man who died after crashing into a Southwestside pond while piloting a powered paraglider had been skimming the water with his feet -- a maneuver a friend said he'd done hundreds of times.

Mike Rish, 47, was operating his powered paraglider, a parachute attached to a large fan worn like a backpack, over Perry Township when he crashed Saturday night in a pond near the intersection of Wicker Road and Tibbs Avenue. He tried to swim to shore but went under as his 8-year-old son watched, according to police and witness reports.
Rish had piloted powered paragliders since 1996 and was well-known by enthusiasts of the relatively small sport. John Nichols, who knew Rish for five years, said Rish often dangled his feet in the water like he was water skiing while paragliding.
Nichols said if a new pilot wanted to learn about the technique, he would go to Rish.
"He's done this after dark hundreds, probably thousands of time," Nichols said.
About 11 p.m. Saturday, Rish was piloting his paraglider over the pond and letting his feet dangle in the water when he crashed about 150 feet from shore, according to a police report.
Rescue divers found Rish's body about an hour after he crashed in about 35 feet of water, the report said.
Jeremy Mann, 28, Indianapolis, said Tuesday that he dove into the water to try to save his friend. Rish was able to unfasten several buckles to free himself from the harness and started swimming toward shore, but soon disappeared.
"He was just a very friendly person and easy to get along with," Mann said. "He would be open with people and welcome people in, which made him good in our paragliding group."
Rish had spent time earlier Saturday with a small group of pilots and went back up after dark after several others had called it a day.
Friends and family have received condolences from paragliders across the world, including South Africa and Ireland, Mann said.
While power paragliding doesn't require a license and isn't regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, pilots know they shouldn't fly after dark, other paragliders said.
Nichols has piloted a powered paraglider for five years and nearly drowned himself after crashing into water while attempting to skim across the surface.
"If you do that across the water, you're going to get into trouble; it's just a matter of time," said Nichols, who lives in Detroit.
Most often when a pilot fails while trying the maneuver, Nichols said, it's because water splashes into the engine and stalls it.
An autopsy likely will be conducted to determine if alcohol was involved in Rish's death, said Sgt. Paul Thompson of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.