Midair collisions between aircraft are rare enough but for the second time in a little more than a month a parachutist has collided with an airplane in flight. In this case, near Racine, Wis., the outcome was a lot better than the tragic circumstances of the previous incident, in which the jumper died. Last Thursday, seven skydivers left a single-engine aircraft at 2,000 feet — one collided with it close to the ground. The plane ended up in a tree after clipping power lines and the jumper landed relatively safely on the ground. Amazingly, neither jumper nor pilot was seriously hurt. The previous incident (in April) ended with much more tragedy. A well-known Florida jumper collided with the plane that he had recently left. In that case, however, the parachutist’s legs were severed and, although he was able to control the parachute to a safe landing, he later died from his injuries.
Another Parachute-Plane Collision
Key Takeaways:
- Two rare midair collisions between skydivers and aircraft occurred within a little over a month.
- In a recent Wisconsin incident, a skydiver collided with their plane, which subsequently landed in a tree after hitting power lines; both the pilot and jumper miraculously sustained no serious injuries.
- The earlier Florida incident was tragic, with a well-known skydiver sustaining severed legs and later dying from injuries despite a successful parachute landing.
See a mistake? Contact us.
