Beaverton Man Dies in Paragliding Crash Near Cape Lookout State Park

He was seen crashing into the ocean and attempting to use his paraglide to stay afloat.

Cape Lookout State Park
By Elise Herron

On Sunday, June 2, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued an unresponsive Gary Mudrow, 44, from the Pacific Ocean near Cape Lookout after he crashed while paragliding.

Mudrow, who is from Beaverton, was paragliding at the park, which is located about 80 miles west of Portland on the Oregon Coast, with a friend. That friend told Oregon State Police that Mudrow appeared "to be too low" when he took off from the cliff, and that an attempt to radio Mudrow was unsuccessful. Mudrow was seen crashing into the ocean and attempting to use his paraglide to stay afloat.

Crews with Netarts Oceanside Fire District and the Coast Guard were able to locate Mudrow, but he was "not breathing and unconscious" when brought to shore. First responders performed CPR and transported Mudrow to the hospital, where he was ultimately pronounced dead.

Mudrow's is the second paragliding death at Cape Lookout in two years, The Oregonian reported. 53-year-old Clifton Weston of Corvallis fatally crashed while paragliding at the state park in 2017.

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