Australian skydiver dangles from plane tail; cuts free at 15,000 ft

An Australian skydiver survived a dramatic mid-air mishap after his reserve parachute snagged on a plane’s tail at 15,000 ft, leaving him dangling mid-air. He cut himself free using a hook knife, deployed his main chute and landed safely, investigators said

Melbourne: Australian accident investigators on Thursday released dramatic images of a skydiver’s parachute becoming entangled on an airplane’s tail, leaving him dangling at 4,500 meters (15,000 feet).

The skydiver, Adrian Ferguson, used a hook knife to cut himself free and sustained minor leg injuries during the incident on September 20 that began at Tully Airport in Queensland state. The pilot and 16 other parachutists on board the Cessna Caravan that day were not hurt.

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The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released the video with its report on its investigation into the mishap.

The plane had reached the desired altitude where the skydivers were planning to execute a 16-way formation jump. A 17th parachutist was at an open door waiting to record video as the others jumped.

Ferguson was leaving the plane when the ripcord of his reserve chute became snagged on a wing flap, the report said.

The chute released and immediately jerked Fergson backward. He knocked the camera operator clear from the plane and into a free fall. Ferguson’s legs then struck the trail’s horizontal stabilizer before the chute tangled around it and left him dangling.

Ferguson used a knife to cut 11 lines that enabled him to fall from the plane with part of the torn chute.

He released his main chute, which fully inflated despite becoming entangled with remnants of the reserve chute, and he landed safely.

Meanwhile, most of the other skydivers had jumped. The pilot was left with two skydivers aboard battling to control the plane with part of the chute still tangled around the tail.

The pilot made a mayday call and was prepared to bail out wearing an emergency chute. But Brisbane air traffic authorities decided he had enough control of the plane to land safely at Tully. It landed without incident.

“Carrying a hook knife — although it is not a regulatory requirement — could be lifesaving in the event of a premature reserve parachute deployment,” the bureau’s chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said.