Skydiver Hits Airplane...

[Golfer]

That he jumped from.  Anybody know anything further...seems like real dumb and tragic thing to have happen.  I've flown jumpers in a C-182 and a C-206...it's not a terribly easy task to beat them to the ground from a 10,000ft jump but by the time the season ended I was down fast enough I had to wait in order to let them get off the runway (read: yard).

I've read a few other posts about skydiving accidents on this board...hope it's nobody we know.  The guy did manage to land after losing both legs at the knees...I have only three jumps and I think that's quite a feat.

DELAND, Fla. (April 24) - A man who was skydiving in central Florida struck the wing of a plane as he descended over an airport, losing both his legs in the accident. The man later died, officials said.

Albert Wing III hit the airplane that he jumped from Saturday morning, police Cmdr. Randel Henderson said. Police said the victim had opened his parachute when he struck the left wing at about 600 feet. His legs were severed at the knees, but he managed to land near an airport.

Wing was taken to a hospital, where he later died, Henderson said. The plane landed safely. DeLand is about 40 miles north of Orlando.

Fourteen other skydivers were in the air at the time of the accident, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Holly Baker said. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.

Skydive DeLand, which organized the jump, said Saturday's accident was not common. The death was the second involving the company this year.

"There are about 15 million jumps every year,'' Mike Johnston, Skydive DeLand's general manager, told The Daytona Beach News-Journal. "I only know of one other case where a sky diver was struck by an airplane.''

[SunTracker]

I think theres some foul-play here.  Maybe the pilot was trying to scare him.

[DiabloTX]

Yeah right, a skydiver HITS a plane.  More like the other way around.  shrecking press.....

So sorry for Mr. Wing though...what a tragedy.

[Airhead]

I hate chutekillers.

[Golfer]

I should clarify...I titled this thread based on the news headlines.  Hitting a skydiver if he's in freefall and you're just happening by flying VFR (Visual Flight Rules) not talking to ATC (which is not a requirement in most airspace) would be a very unfortunate accident.  If you're flying the jump plane...your nuts ought be tied to two horses that run in different directions.

A skydiver doesn't just happen to hit a jump plane, and my assumption (based on only statements in the report) is that the parachute was already open and the pilot was trying to buzz the jumper.  If he (the pilot) was landing and hit the jumper...that's just a mistake with no excuse.  Again...nuts...horses.

I hope the DZ had a good insurance policy.

[spitfiremkv]

Wing was over the runway...isn't that kind of reckless in itself?

[crowMAW]

I've seen that jump operation in Deland...and I have flown at two other airports with jump operations.  I have not been impressed with the safety at any of them.

It seems most jump planes, after pushing the screamers out, put the nose down and dive at the airport at about 60-80deg angle.  The Deland operation follows this practice.  I'm sure it is for cost savings...money is burning if the prop is turning.  But it seems to me to fit the definition of aerobatic flight by FAR 91.303, which is prohibited without waiver over an active airport.

I personally have been put in a tight spot by a jump plane pilot diving in for a landing.  I was just about to turn base when the jump plane, rushing to get on the ground with a straight in approach (at a steep pitch angle), refused to yield and go around to allow me to land.  Normally, that would just mean making a long downwind and coming in behind him...but I was in a freaking GLIDER.  We had some strong words afterwards since he put me and my passenger at risk.

I won't get into how many times jumpers have shot through the clouds that I was thermalling under  ...also prohibited.  

[DiabloTX]

Originally posted by crowMAW
I've seen that jump operation in Deland...and I have flown at two other airports with jump operations.  I have not been impressed with the safety at any of them.

It seems most jump planes, after pushing the screamers out, put the nose down and dive at the airport at about 60-80deg angle.  The Deland operation follows this practice.  I'm sure it is for cost savings...money is burning if the prop is turning.  But it seems to me to fit the definition of aerobatic flight by FAR 91.303, which is prohibited without waiver over an active airport.

I personally have been put in a tight spot by a jump plane pilot diving in for a landing.  I was just about to turn base when the jump plane, rushing to get on the ground with a straight in approach (at a steep pitch angle), refused to yield and go around to allow me to land.  Normally, that would just mean making a long base and coming in behind him...but I was in a freaking GLIDER.  We had some strong words afterwards since he put me and my passenger at risk.

I won't get into how many times jumpers have shot through the clouds that I was thermalling under  ...also prohibited.  

I actually have of video of me, somewhere around here,in the right hand seat of a plane, can't remember which one, as we roll and dive back to Deland after a mass exit back in May of 1991.  I wasn't expecting it at all and I started screaming something to the affect, "Stuka's at 3 o'clock low!  I've got the lead!" and the rest of the video is me screaming all the way to the deck.  I forgot I even had this video until this post.  I have to go dig it out...

[SFRT - Frenchy]

Coming for landing once, I had a close call with a skydiver. His chute was open, yet it seemed he "poped out in front of me". I knew there were skydivers operating, so I was looking out for them.

[Holden McGroin]

A picture of my instructor the only time I went skydiving.

 

And the school:

[Holden McGroin]

Me getting ready to jump:

[Silat]

Originally posted by Holden McGroin
Me getting ready to jump:

Good flick:)

[Sox62]

LOL!!!Great movie.

NO GO

"It says Go on!"

[Rett]

This is the town I grew up in and i still live within 10 miles or so. I used to watch the skydivers and local private air traffic for hours at a time. I hung around  at the jump site for hours talking with the pilots and the meeting the sightly insane types that like to jump out of perfectly good aircraft.

Having watched the operations its not a huge suprise that this happened. They fly a twin otter and some other single engine french aircraft(no idea the name) that some refer to as the vomitcomet. If I recall correctly the jumper was hit by the twin otter.

    I always found it rather amusing that in order to make as much $$$ as possible the pilot would kick his jumpers out at around 15k or so and then go almost pure vertical to get back to the ground. It was a running joke that the plane would be on the ground loading up the next batch of jumpers before the last chute hit the ground.


I have also heard many many horror stories from Embry-Riddle pilots and students about the jumpers coming in right over the active runway while they were doing touch and goes.

So,it sucks to say it but this was bound to happen sooner or later.

[deSelys]

Press has got it wrong, he was NOT hit by the plane he had jumped from but by another one.