Atlanterra, Spain - Swiss Yves Rossy ditched in the sea on Thursday in a failed bid to fly from Africa to Europe using a jet-powered wing attached to his back, live television images showed.
The 50-year-old former fighter pilot was seen in the water waving to rescuers before a helicopter approached and plucked him to safety.
He had planned to fly 38km across the Strait of Gibraltar from Tangier in Morocco to Atlanterra in southern Spain, at a speed of 220km after leaping from a plane.
After a 13-minute flight, Rossy was to cut his engines, open his parachute and land in Spain in what organisers said would have been the first crossing between Africa and Europe using a jet-powered wing. Continues Below ↓
But after only a few minutes in the air Rossy had to deploy his parachute as he fell into the sea. The reason for the failure was not immediately clear.
Known as "Jetman", he made headlines in September 2008 when he became the first person to cross the English Channel between France and Britain using a jet-powered wing.
His team said on Wednesday's Africa to Europe attempt was the logical follow-on from this.
The carbon-fibre wing, two metres across, is powered by four jet engines and steered by the pilot's body movements.
Before taking off Rosy said the main dangers were engine failure and losing control of the wing.
"But there's always plan B. I can ditch the wing and open the parachute. If I land in the water, there are people to come and get me," he told AFP by telephone.
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