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On the April 9 of 2000, a gigantic rapid rock slide-debris avalanche occurred in Bomi, Tibet. Some 280-300 × 10 m of material travelled 10 km within 10 min and dammed the Yigong River, forming a 2.9 × 10 m³ barrier lake. Wind tunnel testing was undertaken to determine the aerodynamic parameters involved, from the initial rock slide-fall to its point of impact. The paper reports the numerical analyses undertaken and discusses the significance of the air-cushion effect. It is concluded that Yigong rapid rock slide-debris avalanche 'flew' in the air for about 12.9 s from its detachment from the source to its collision with the floor of the Zamunong gully at 3,317 m asl. The velocity of the avalanche mass at the point of detachment was some 81.8 m/s and the collision velocity approximately 117 m/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]