A Phoenix man died Saturday after falling nearly 2,000 feet in a hang gliding accident, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said.

Kunio Yoshimura, 36, fell from the glider shortly after taking off from the Mingus Mountain launch site near Cottonwood, Ariz., deputies said.

Yoshimura's wife told deputies her husband took off and realized his body harness was not locked into the glider frame, according to the sheriff's office. While in the air, her husband struggled to secure his harness to the frame, but he let go of the glider a few minutes later, deputies said.

Though Yoshimura deployed his parachute, it did not fully open during the descent, and he struck the ground after falling around 2,000 feet, deputies said.

Because he landed in an area inaccessible by cars and trucks, the Department of Public Safety sent a Ranger helicopter to the site, the sheriff's office said. Paramedics confirmed Yoshimura was dead and recovered his body, deputies said.

Deputies said they interviewed several witnesses to the accident who confirmed the story related by Yoshimura's wife.

Several friends said Yoshimura had been flying for at least 13 years, and many were unsure why his harness had not been secured to the glider frame before flight, deputies said.

The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office is investigating the matter.