Footage was shared of a skydiver in Australia having to dangle from underneath an aircraft after their parachute got stuck on the aircraft’s tail.
The incident happened in September
A Cessna Caravan and a pilot were hired by Far North Freefall Club (FNFF) on September 20 to take off from Tully Airport in Far North Queensland for a 16-way formation jump run.
This was to be filmed at 15,000 feet by a parachuting camera operator, per a media release by Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
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There were 18 people on board
The plane was carrying 17 parachutists as well as the pilot at the time of the incident.
It took place after the plane took off at 9:50 a.m. local time, according to an investigation summary released as part of the ATSB report.
The parachute got caught in the wing
According to the ATSB release, the pilot reached the desired altitude before they signaled for the jump to start.
Then the first parachutist’s ‘handle for their reserve parachute snagged on the wing flap, deploying the chute inadvertently’.
They explained what happened
A video of the incident has since been shared. The federal agency explained, “This dragged the parachutist suddenly backwards, and their legs struck the aircraft’s left horizontal [stabilizer], substantially damaging it.”
“The parachute then wrapped around the [stabilizer], suspending the parachutist below the aircraft.”
The pilot felt something was strange
“The pilot recalled feeling the aircraft suddenly pitch up, and observed the airspeed rapidly decreasing,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
But they weren’t aware it happened at first
“Initially unaware of what had occurred, the pilot believed the aircraft had stalled, and pushed forward on the control column and applied some power in response,” Mitchell added.
“But upon being told there was a skydiver hung up on the tailplane, they reduced power again.”
Thirteen of the parachutists had to exit
The situation ended up that thirteen of the parachutists on board exited the aircraft, while two stayed in the doorway, “watching as the snagged parachutist used a hook knife to cut 11 lines from their reserve parachute, allowing the remaining parachute to tear, freeing them from the aircraft.”
The parachutist fell into a freefall
The stuck parachutist fell into a freefall and released their main parachute, which inflated fully, ‘despite becoming tangled in the remaining lines and canopy of the reserve chute’, per the ATSB.
But the parachutist then landed safely and only suffered minor injuries.
The agency’s chief commissioner explained how it went down
Chief Commissioner Mitchell explained, “With all parachutists out of the aircraft, the pilot assessed they had limited pitch control, given the substantially damaged tailplane, which still had a portion of the reserve parachute wrapped around it.”
“With forward pressure they found they could achieve a gradual descent, and retracted the flap, which then allowed slightly more rudder, aileron and elevator control.”
