The Story of a Crashed Hang-glider

It was a daring plan and it could have worked. Two men built a hang-glider that was supposed to transfer them to the other side of the Iron Curtain. They took their time with thorough preparation, equipped the hang-glider with an engine from the legendary Trabant - at that time achievable vehicle produced in former East Germany.

Josef Kutra from Olomouc was twenty-nine at that time, his friend Jiří Jedlička was a year younger. Both men were skilled; Kutra worked as a driver, Jedlička was a car painter. And they both desired to settle in the USA. But the borders were insuperable for them.

The escape was planned for the night of 27 August 1984. However, it ended up tragically. The circumstances have not been completely explained so far. Anyhow, ruins of the hang-glider attracted Rudolf Pitr, seventy-years-old guard of an agricultural cooperative in Bavaria. And he reported the findings. It was on 28 August 1984 at 7:00 am. On the site he found not only the hang-glider, but also scattered pieces of clothing and traces of blood.

Since it was clear that both men had to end up in hospital, the State Security opened an investigation. They took the hang-glider to Brno for expertise.

Meanwhile, the two men really ended up in Trauma Hospital of Brno, whereto they were brought by Jedlička`s relatives. Kutra died there the same day. Doctors fought for his life for three hours. His friend Jedlička experienced six-months treatment and then a jail. Despite he pretended to be – as well as his friend – a victim of a car accident, the investigators soon discovered the truth.

What caused the accident remains unclear. The men started at night, which was dangerous itself. But the hang-glider was well tested and they knew it was able to carry them both. According to Jedlička, a broken propeller, which bursted immediately after the start, could have caused the accident.

Although Jedlička was later compensated for his stay in prison, the unsuccessful escape became the greatest disappointment of his life. Not only he lost a friend there, but the escape also meant health consequences for him. After the fall of the Iron Curtain he travelled to Austria, to places where they originally wanted to land with the glider. He looked at Pálava from the other side.