Skydiver Falls 9,000 Feet (And Survives!) After Parachute Becomes Tangled

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Skydiver Falls 9,000 Feet (And Survives!) After Parachute Becomes Tangled

Posted: 12/10/2013 12:08 pm EST Updated: 12/11/2013 10:19 am EST








A skydiver fell 9,000 feet after his parachute became tangled in a friend's during a difficult maneuver Sunday. But, in a miraculous turn of events, the man survived the fall.
Victor Bryie, of Florida, was rushed to a local hospital in the state. Though his injuries were serious, he is reported to be in stable condition. According to The Ledger, the 27-year-old suffered multiple broken bones and a head injury in the fall.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said that Bryie and another skydiver, Shaun Phillips, of the U.K., were near the Lake Wales Municipal Airport Sunday afternoon when they jumped from 14,000 feet and their parachute lines tangled. After Phillips' ankle got caught in Bryie's line, the two skydivers became ensnared in each other's chutes.
Twisting in the air, Phillips' foot broke free, and he was able to open his parachute while he was still about 3,000 feet up. Bryie, on the other hand, remained tangled in his own lines and plummeted to the ground with a partially open parachute.
According to The Orlando Sentinel, the pair were trying to perform a maneuver reserved for experienced skydivers which involves one diver holding the canopy of another's parachute. This so-called Canopy Relative Work maneuver can link up many divers at once.
The recent accident demonstrates that even the most experienced skydivers can experience a mid-air mishap that causes them to lose control. In October, veteran skydiver Kenneth Ryan Bernek tried a risky maneuver and fell out of control, colliding with a bystander on the ground.

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JAMUL, Calif. (AP) — A skydiving trainer has died after a midair collision in eastern San Diego county.
03/30/2014 11:31 pm EDT

Sheriff's Lt. Clayton Lisk said the man's body was found in the Jamul (hah-mool) area Sunday afternoon following a search-and-rescue effort.

The owner of Skydive San Diego told reporters the victim was practicing a maneuver called tracking when he collided with his jump partner's knee or leg.

Buzz Fink said the victim's parachute was never deployed. The other jumper involved in the collision was not injured and was able to land in the drop zone.

Fink said the victim, who was in his 20s, was an experienced skydiver who had completed more than 1,000 jumps.

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2 Skydivers Die After Crashing Into Building
AP
Posted: 09/29/2014 8:22 am EDT Updated: 09/29/2014 8:59 am EDT

In this image taken from video provided by HyannisNews.com, a person is brought to an ambulance following a skydiving accident Sunday,

BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) — Police in Massachusetts say two skydivers have died after crashing into a building during a tandem jump on Cape Cod.

Barnstable police say the skydiving instructor and student died Sunday night, shortly after the crash near the Cape Cod Airfield.

Centerville Fire Capt. Sean Greene tells WBZ-TV that the pair landed on a building outside their designated landing area.

Barnstable police Sgt. David Myett tells the Boston Globe that it's unclear whether the skydivers' equipment malfunctioned. He says the district attorney's office will investigate their deaths.

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Skydiver, Plane Collide In Mid-Air Accident (PHOTOS)
AP
Posted: 03/09/2014 3:36 pm EDT Updated: 03/10/2014 11:59 am EDT


MULBERRY, Fla. (AP) — A plane became entangled in the strings of a skydiver's parachute, sending both crashing into the ground near Tampa, Fla., with both the pilot and jumper hospitalized with minor injuries.

skydiver

Polk County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Carrie Eleazer says 87-year-old pilot Shannon Trembley was doing takeoff and landing maneuvers Saturday in his Cessna at the South Lakeland Airport in Mulberry.

On his third landing pass, the wing of his plane became entangled in the strings of 49-year-old Gainesville skydiver John Frost's parachute about 75 feet above the ground.

Frost was flung to the ground, and Trembley's plan nose-dived to the surface as well.

Eleazer says neither sustained serious injury, but went to the hospital. Frost was treated and released. Trembley was held for observation.

The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating.

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Plane crashes into Lake Taupo

ROBERT STEVEN, LAURA WALTERS, MICHAEL FIELD AND PAUL EASTON
Last updated 18:27, January 7 2015

Police divers enter the water of Lake Taupo to prepare the plane wreckage from yesterday's crash to be removed.
Mike Scott

Police divers enter the water of Lake Taupo to prepare the plane wreckage from yesterday's crash to be removed.




Firefighters cut their way through blackberry bushes to reach the pilot of a stricken light plane that plunged into Lake Taupo after he and 12 skydivers bailed out.

Remarkably, no-one was seriously injured when the bright-pink Skydive Taupo aircraft crashed into the lake about 12.15pm today.

Did you witness the crash? Email your photos and comments to newstips@stuff.co.nz
Fairfax NZ

Tumanako Wall, a 65 year-old retired plumber from Rotongaio, was piling up wood by the lake near Rotongaio Rd when he heard the bang.

The plane crashed 200 metres from shore at Rotongaio Bay, on State Highway 1 south of Taupo.

It sank in 3.5m of water.

Mike Hawker had only just arrived at the his lakeside holiday spot when he saw a puff of smoke from the plane before it spiralled into the lake.

The 24-year-old Auckland bar worker was by the lake edge at the tiny Waitahanui village.

"We were just filling up the gas tank when we heard the putt from the plane come out and a puff of smoke was just coming out the back," said Hawker.

"The plane was just gliding and six parachutes just popped out and the plane just took a nose dive and crashed straight into the water."

Boaties who were already on the water rushed to the crash site to help the jumpers to shore.

By the time Hawker and a friend got their own boat ready, the area was already filled with water craft, and helicopters were searching by air.

The impact was so severe, he thought there may have been casualties.

"When we got out in the boat it was actually quite intense, especially seeing the helicopters circle around, you think there is a body in the water."

He said the splash of the plane as it hit the water was "pretty spectacular".

The plane sat in just a few metres of water.

"It would have been hard to survive in something like that, I reckon."

Police said the aircraft encountered an "emergency situation" while climbing, and as a result all those onboard bailed out.

The 13 on board were the pilot, six crew and six passengers - six tandem skydive pairings.

Victim Support had been notified, and Skydive Taupo was also providing support to those involved, police said.

Skydive Taupo said no-one was available to comment on the crash.

Taupo harbourmaster Philip King said the pilot was last out.

"The skydivers had already jumped," he said.

"The pilot ejected later and ended up in the blackberry.

"The fire brigade were there with ladders. They had to cut their way in there.

"Everyone made it out - no serious injuries at all."

Deputy harbourmaster Alex Dickie said a jet ski and a barge had been sent, but the Greenlea rescue helicopter was first to find the plane.

Environment Waikato was sending a spill kit to contain any oil leakage.

A harbour master's boat stayed at the crash site until evening.

St John was notified at 12.18pm and sent two ambulances. The rescue helicopter was not needed.

Ambulance staff were assessing the conditions of the people who had jumped, a spokeswoman said.


A witness, who did not want to be named, said she saw parachutes coming down before the plane crashed.

"We saw the plane," she said.

"We heard it go overhead as it was climbing and then it just went 'putt' and conked out."

After the parachutists got out, the plane seemed to spiral down and missed a headland, going into the water just off Waitahanui.

Boats headed out to pick up the parachutists and try to reach the plane.

Rob Graham, of the Woodward Gallery in the Lake Taupo village, said he at first wondered why the parachutists were jumping where they had.

"There were six or eight there and I wondered why they were jumping at this end of the lake," he said.

"I could see they were going to end up in the lake … That's not a good thing to do."

One parachutist may have landed on land but the rest went into the lake.

Taupo Mayor David Trewavas said the plane suffered power failure at about 4000 feet (more than 1200m) and the pilot decided to evacuate.

All safety procedures were followed and as a result everyone escaped unharmed, he said.

"The main thing is that everyone survived."

Trewavas said people onboard who were forced to jump from the plane were "shaken" but unharmed.

"Having a parachute on is very appropriate in this situation," he said.

Waikato Regional Council tweeted that its incident response staff had been on the scene of the plane crash, and there was no sign of aviation gas escaping from the wreckage.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission was investigating.

It said three investigators were travelling to Taupo to start inquiries that would focus on securing evidence, including the wreckage and aircraft and flight information, and gathering initial accounts from those involved, as well as from witnesses.

A fourth investigator was working from Wellington.

Police divers would help investigators with underwater inspection and photography of the wreckage before it was lifted from the lake bed by commercial salvage experts, TAIC said.

The inquiry could take up to 18 months.

However, interim reports or safety recommendations could be issued before the inquiry was complete if needed, it said.

Trewavas said the Taupo skydiving service offered the highest drop in the southern hemisphere and it was a key national and international tourism attraction.

While services had been suspended for the rest of the day while people regrouped and "got their chins back up", the crash would not damage the local tourism industry, he said.

"It will carry on, business as usual."

Today's events showed how safe the service was when all safety procedures were followed, Trewavas said.

- Stuff