Hang gliding instructor had no permit in fatal crash, BLM says

A hang gliding instructor killed along with an 11-year-old boy in a crash near Jean on Friday did not have a permit to operate on the federal land where the aircraft went down, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

John Kelly Harrison, 55, of Kameula, Hawaii, and owner of Las Vegas Hang Gliding, died in a dry lake bed about 30 miles south of Las Vegas. Arys Moorhead, 11, of Farmington, N.M., died while being driven for help.

Special recreation permits are required for commercial use on federal land, according to the BLM.

“This company did not have one,” BLM spokeswoman Kirsten Cannon said Tuesday.

Applicants for permits must supply operation plans and maps, Cannon said. If the land falls in more than one federal jurisdiction, applicants must apply to multiple agencies.

Depending on the activity, applicants are required to meet with a BLM outdoor planner, Cannon said. Some permits also require licensing or insurance.

Las Vegas Hang Gliding was not licensed in Las Vegas or Clark County, records show.

Harrison’s company was registered as a Nevada limited liability company LLC in January, according to secretary of state’s office.

A New Mexico family had booked a hang gliding lesson with Harrison on Friday. Arys was the most excited in the group, police said, so he went first.

The boy and Harrison were riding side by side in the glider, which was being pulled by a trailer behind a pickup, when the truck made an abrupt turn. The glider crashed, killing Harrison. The boy’s family drove him toward Las Vegas for medical attention and stopped along Interstate 15 to seek help from a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper, but it was too late.

Arys died near Sloan Drive, about 10 miles from where the glider went down.

Metro’s fatal traffic unit investigated since the deaths involved a motor vehicle, police said. The Federal Aviation Administration initially assisted but its role was limited since the aircraft was not motorized or registered with the agency.

The police investigation was still active Tuesday, Metro spokeswoman officer Laura Meltzer said. The pickup driver has not been charged.

Police said Friday the driver of the truck thought the tether had been released, as is usually done by the person in the glider.

Harrison was the sole proprietor of Las Vegas Hang Gliding, Metro and the BLM said.

Hang gliding is self-regulated by the U.S. Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association, according to the organization’s website. The site did not include listings for Harrison and Las Vegas Hang Gliding.

A voice message to the U.S. Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association was not returned Tuesday afternoon.

Harrison said on his company website that he offered hang gliding lessons and that he had earned a master hang gliding rating. He said he had 35 years of experience in the sport.

Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.