Arya News - An Australian skydiver was left dangling from a plane at 15,000 feet after his parachute got caught on the tail of the aircraft. All landed safely.
Dec. 12 (UPI) -- An Australian skydiver was left dangling from behind a plane at 15,000 feet after his parachute got caught on the tail of the aircraft, causing some heart-stopping moments for the jumper and the pilot.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released a report and video Thursday describing the incident that happened on Sept. 20 in which a skydiver"s reserve parachute deployed as he jumped and got caught on a horizontal stabilizer of the Cessna Caravan. The skydiver and the plane were able to land safely after several harrowing moments.
Skydiver Adrian Ferguson used a hook knife to cut himself free after suffering minor leg injuries when his legs crashed into the horizontal stabilizer. He was then able to deploy his main parachute safely, though it did get tangled in the cords from the reserve chute.
The plane took off and landed at Tully Airport, an airstrip in northern Queensland. There were 16 other parachutists on the plane, and all were able to jump safely. The divers were planning to do a 16-way formation jump, with a 17th jumper filming it. The jump was part of the annual Big Ways at the Beach event , hosted by the Far North Freefall group. The event is a multi-day event in which experienced skydivers complete large group formations in belly-to-earth freefall, the report said.
The pilot, who was wearing his own emergency parachute, was unsure if he could land the plane after Ferguson freed himself because the parachute and its cords remained tangled in the horizontal stabilizer, the report said.
"The pilot recalled feeling the aircraft suddenly pitch up, and observed the airspeed rapidly decreasing," ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said. "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. But upon being told there was a skydiver hung up on the tailplane, they reduced power again."
Once all the jumpers had left the plane, the pilot had to consider what to do next.
"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," Mitchell said. "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."
Once he got close to the ground, the pilot realized he could land the plane.
"In difficult circumstances, the pilot managed to control the aircraft and land safely at Tully," Mitchell said.
The report said that when Ferguson jumped, the handle that releases the emergency chute got snagged on the plane and was pulled open. Mitchell said the event should remind parachutists to be mindful of their handles, especially when exiting the plane.
"Carrying a hook knife -- although it is not a regulatory requirement -- could be lifesaving in the event of a premature reserve parachute deployment," he said.
The investigation also found that the pilot had not ensured the plane was loaded within its weight and balance envelope for proper weight distribution of the craft. But that didn"t contribute to the accident.
"Fatal parachuting accidents have occurred in the past due to aircraft being loaded outside center-of-gravity limits, which highlights the importance of conducting aircraft weight and balance calculations prior to each load," Mitchell said.