The 25-year-old German national was paragliding at the popular tourist site when he stalled, lost altitude and crashed into the mountainside.

Paramedics from Manilla were rushed to the site to treat the paraglider before the Westpac Rescue Helicopter took him to Tamworth hospital.

He died on arrival.

Chief flying instructor Godfrey Wenness said the paraglider was attempting a top-land about 6pm when he made an error, causing him to fall 10 metres.

“He performed a top-land approach and he applied the brakes deeply and stalled,” Mr Wenness said.

“It was at the end of the day so conditions were very tame.

“There was no equipment failure at all.”

Oxley Local Area Command Acting Inspector and duty officer Martin Burke  at  described the fatality as “a freak accident”. 

“Thankfully these things are few and far between,” he said. 

He said the man appeared to be paragliding alone. 

“There was nothing remarkable about the weather conditions,” he said. 

“He was licensed to be doing what he was doing.”

Reigning Australian Paramotor champion Grant Cassar said the death was saddening, but he would not be discouraged from paragliding or paramotoring. 

“It is a sad thing when someone gets hurt or, as has happened on this occasion, loses their life,” he said. 

The paramotor enthusiast, who is also a lieutenant colonel in the Australian Army, urged people to be safe when taking to the air. 

“It is similar to the feeling you get when you hear about someone dying in a car accident,” he said. 

“It does not stop people driving, but if you are wise, you make sure your gear is in good condition and you fly within your skill level.”

Mount Borah is the site where, during the 2007 World Paragliding Championships, two gliders were sucked up into a dangerous storm cell. 

The fierce conditions claimed the life of a Chinese paraglider, but German woman Ewa Wisnierska miraculously survived. 

During a training flight ahead of the championships, Ms Wisnierka was flung to a height of roughly 9946 metres, leaving her unconscious for 40 minutes.

She managed to regain consciousness and successfully landed after three-and-a-half hours in the air.