Saturday May 28, Franky Zapata, the inventor from Marseille, nicknamed the flying man, soared into the air on his flyboard, his flying skateboard, before falling fifteen meters above Lake Biscarrosse. in the Landes.
Who is Franky Zapata?
The flying man, Franky Zapata distinguished himself in August 2019 by crossing the English Channel using his invention the flyboard, a kind of flying skateboard. The Marseillais, 40 years old at the time, traveled 35 km in the air and reached the UK in just 20 minutes thanks to peaks of up to 190 km / h. The former jet ski champion continues to regularly present his funny invention at events.
How did the accident happen?
On Saturday May 28, Franky Zapata was invited to the big international gathering of seaplanes, which takes place throughout the weekend in the Landes. The inventor of the flyboard was to present his creation during two performances, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday. The autodidact was in full flight when he suddenly fell fifteen meters directly into Lake Biscarrosse in the Landes.
Why did it crash?
According to information obtained from Zapata by Provence, the flying man would have made the decision himself to throw himself into the lake. When his machine took off, Franky Zapata was unable to control his flying skateboard. Perched about fifteen meters in the air, an altitude which is not always fatal, the sportsman chose to dive into the lake and avoid a greater shock. If the flyboard did not respond to Franky Zapata’s commands in an optimal way, it is perhaps, according to the latter, because of the many drones present on the site which would have created interference.
How is he ?
Sunday May 29, the Marseillais tweeted “I’m fine”. The 43-year-old sportsman is even allowed to add a touch of humor when giving his news. Always on his Twitter, we could read “Finally a good Sunday of rest and Monday it starts again!”
Franky Zapata of course did not forget to thank the people who came to his aid, with a touch of self-mockery. “Thanks to the rescuers, you ensured serious, I did not even drink the cup”.