Terrifying footage shows man clinging to hang glider for dear life after pilot forgets to clip him in

A US tourist who went hang gliding in Interlaken, Switzerland, ended up hanging on for dear life after his pilot forgot to clip his harness into the device before taking flight.

Florida resident Chris Gursky took to YouTube on Monday to share heart-stopping footage of the October incident, which could have proven fatal if it wasn't for the novice hang glider's strong grip.

"My first time Hang Gliding turned into a near death experience as my safety harness was never hooked to the Glider," he wrote. "For 2 Min. 14 seconds I had to hang on for my life! The landing was a rough one, but I lived to tell the story."

In the video, Gursky, who was on vacation with his wife at the time of the incident, can be seen launching off a steep hill with his instructor. As soon as the two are airborne, they both realize that Gursky's harness is not properly secured to the device.

The adventure-seeker quickly begins slipping from the hang glider and eventually ends up precariously dangling 4,000 feet above the ground below, with one hand on the craft and the other on the instructor.

After over two minutes of physical and mental anguish, Gursky appears to nearly lose his strength to hold on. Thankfully, the pilot was able to steer the hang glider with one hand while holding on to Gursky with the other in order to make a successful emergency landing.

Once the pair was a safe distance from the field below, Gurksy lets go and tumbles through the grass, escaping the ordeal with relatively minor injuries.

"Upon impact my right wrist suffered a fragmented distal radius fracture, which required surgery," Gurksy wrote. "A titanium plate and seven screws were installed and I was released the following afternoon."

Gurksy also tore his right bicep tendon from holding on to the glider for so long but admitted it still "beats the alternative."

He added that while the pilot made a "critical error" in failing to secure him to the craft, he was thankful he did everything he could to get Gursky to the ground safely.

Unfortunately, the incident took place on the first day of Gursky and his wife's trip, which forced them to cancel the majority of their itinerary.

However, the thrill-seeker says the mishap won't stop him from trying the sport one more time.

"I will go Hang Gliding again as I did not get to enjoy my first flight," he wrote.