A WORLD-class daredevil has died in a horror crash after slamming into a famous Cape Town peak during a test flight.
Jean Jacques Wallis, 35, an aerial sports pro with more than 20 years in paragliding was killed when his trial run went catastrophically wrong.
The South African ace was also highly-experienced at skydiving, BASE jumping and wingsuit flying.
He had only just won a gold medal at the World Wingsuit League in September.
He was reportedly testing out a highly responsive Flare Moustache parakite when he smashed into Cape Town’s iconic Lion’s Head mountain.
Rescuers rushed to the scene after an alert just before 7pm.
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More than 30 Wilderness Search and Rescue members took part in a major recovery mission on the mountainside.
A spokesperson said technical rope systems were used to haul the body back to the trail before it was carried to a waiting vehicle.
Experts say the parakite is a hybrid wing designed for strong winds and high-speed coastal soaring.
It falls under paragliding rules but behaves very differently to the larger, steadier wings used by trainees or tandem riders.
A probe has now been launched by the Civil Aviation Authority’s Accident and Incident Investigation Division, which is appealing for footage, photos or any other material from witnesses.
The South African Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association offered its condolences to the Wallis family and the aerial sports community.
Spokesperson Louis Stanford said: “The aim is to learn from accidents and prevent future occurrences, not to assign blame.”
Wallis had recently competed at the 11th WWL Grand Prix at Tianmen Mountain in China, winning gold in the Target Strike event and coming fourth in the Slalom Speed Race.
Investigators are still poring over his flight path, kit, weather conditions and any other factors that may have led to the tragedy.
Wingsuit BASE jumping deaths are not common, and they are considered among the world’s deadliest sports, with around one death per every 500 jumps – compared to around 1 in 120,000 skydiving jumps.
In August, a daredevil CEO died in a horror wingsuit crash after he collided with trees in the Swiss Alps.
Kirk Hawkins, 58, was described as the “most extraordinary person” by his devastated friend.
Kirk had jumped out of a helicopter alongside three others near to the peak of the Eiger summit.
They glided along the east ridge before the American CEO of ICON Aircraft hit some trees just west of Schüssellouwinegraben.
He died after crashing to the ground, police confirmed.
The Swiss Alps also claimed the life of a Scottish wingsuit flyer in June.
Liam Byrne, 24, tragically lost his life during the jump at Gitschen, a 8,245ft mountain in the Urner Alps.
Liam spent five years living out the back of his dad’s old Citroen Berlingo as he mastered his craft to the point he felt comfortable doing death-defying jumps.
He starred in a BBC Scotland documentary about the extreme sport called The Boy Who Can Fly.