Skydiver dangles at 15,000 feet after parachute catches on plane’s tail in Australia

MELBOURNE Australia AP Australian accident investigators on Thursday distributed dramatic images of a skydiver s parachute becoming entangled on an airplane s tail leaving him dangling at meters feet The skydiver Adrian Ferguson used a hook knife to cut himself free and sustained minor leg injuries during the event on Sept that began at Tully Airport in Queensland state The pilot and other parachutists on board the Cessna Caravan that day were not hurt The Australian Transit Safety Bureau distributed the video with its account on its assessment into the mishap The plane had reached the desired altitude where the skydivers were planning to execute a -way formation jump A th 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 overview noted The chute issued and forthwith 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 lines that enabled him to fall from the plane with part of the torn chute He circulated his main chute which fully inflated despite becoming entangled with remnants of the reserve chute and he landed safely Meanwhile bulk 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 urgency chute But Brisbane air traffic personnel decided he had enough control of the plane to land safely at Tully It landed without development 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 declared Source