A 21-year-old Illinois man has died after his paraglider crashed into a field, prompting an outpouring of grief from his family, friends and the wider paragliding community.
Giovanni Lopez was killed Saturday afternoon in Plainfield, a community approximately 35 miles southwest of Chicago.
The Plainfield Police Department said officers were called to reports of the crash at about 2:57 p.m.
The Kendall County Coroner’s Office arrived at the scene around 3:40 p.m. and pronounced Lopez dead. The office identified him publicly later that day.
His official cause and manner of death will remain pending until an autopsy is completed. Plainfield police are investigating what caused the crash.
Lopez was an enthusiastic paraglider who regularly shared photos and videos of his flights on social media.
Some posts captured him calmly taking in the scenery from above, while others showed him carrying out spins and other demanding aerial maneuvers.
Curtis Haley, 33, a friend and fellow paraglider, remembered Lopez in an interview with Our News Outlet as “a selfless, kind individual who would do nothing but help people.”
Giovanni Lopez, 21, died in a paragliding accident on Saturday afternoon in Plainfield, Illinois
Lopez was an avid paraglider who often shared photos and videos of himself flying on social media. He is pictured performing a midair spin in one video
Haley said he and Lopez, whom he affectionately called “Gio,” had been close for roughly a year after meeting unexpectedly while paragliding.
“I had an emergency landing myself, and I was standing in the middle of the field not knowing what to do, and this random pilot flew by that I’d never met before. He saw me, he landed, and sure enough he helped me,” Haley said.
The loss has been especially painful for Haley and the small, close-knit paragliding community, he told Our News Outlet.
“This whole circumstance and situation is hard to believe, and I’m at a loss for words,” he said. Haley added that he and Lopez had last flown together on Tuesday.
“I literally couldn’t sleep last night at all. I’ve been up since 3 a.m. I might’ve gotten 15 to 30 minutes of sleep,” Haley said.
Haley said that after learning a crash had occurred—but before Lopez had been identified—he called several friends in the paragliding community to make sure they were safe.
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When he tried to reach Lopez, however, there was no response. “He didn’t answer. He didn’t answer over and over,” Haley said, explaining that he called between 15 and 20 times.
Haley’s fiancée went to the crash scene and saw Lopez’s glider on the ground, confirming their fears that he had been involved.
Lopez’s friend Curtis Haley remembered him as “a selfless, kind individual who would do nothing but help people.” Lopez is pictured paragliding
Haley said he called Lopez 15 to 20 times without receiving an answer after hearing about the crash but before authorities publicly identified the victim. Lopez is pictured in his paraglider
Haley, who recently became engaged to a fellow paraglider, described the fatal crash as “a wake-up call.”
He said the community remains in “disbelief,” with many members discussing Lopez’s death in group chats.
Haley has been paragliding for about four years, while Lopez began the sport in May 2025.
Both men attended flight school. “So we were taught the right way, and we flew as safe as we possibly could,” Haley said.
He described Lopez as a skilled pilot who had progressed quickly.
Haley said paragliding “is as safe as you can make it,” emphasizing the importance of completing pre-flight checks, ensuring equipment is working properly and confirming that weather conditions are suitable.
Although he did not want to speculate about what caused the crash, Haley said there are always unforeseen risks. “Anything can happen,” he said.
“We do have intercoms that warn us of aircraft and air traffic and weather conditions and all of that,” Haley said.
Haley said “anything can happen” while paragliding and that “Mother Nature can be brutal.” Lopez is pictured performing a midair spin in a video he posted
“But that can’t account for lakefront gusts, and Mother Nature can be brutal and can do different things at different times.”
Our News Outlet has contacted the Plainfield Police Department seeking comment and further information about the crash.
