Rocklin man, 34, dies in Truckee paragliding crash

A 34-year-old man from Rocklin was killed Friday in a paragliding accident in Truckee, Nevada County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Saturday morning.

Eric McAuliffe crashed near Royal Way and Cavalier Rise, a sparsely populated and wooded area in eastern Truckee, the sheriff’s office announced in a tweet. Fox40 reported McAuliffe had collided with a cliff face around 3:45 p.m. Friday.

He was the only person involved in the crash and officials did not know where he took off from or was intending to go, since a flight plan wasn’t filed.

McAuliffe was a Martinez native who had recently moved from Tahoe Vista, studied geology at Sierra College, according to his Facebook page. He worked a number of extreme jobs over his career, including being a Snowcat operator at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows and a composite specialist supervisor at height service provider Rope Partner.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a joint investigation into McAuliffe’s death.

This story was originally published February 15, 2020 at 11:10 AM.