Watch: Australian Skydiver Left Hanging From Plane’s Tail At 15,000 Feet After Parachute Gets Stuck

Australia’s transport safety investigators have released footage showing the moment a skydiver’s reserve parachute became caught on the tail of a plane during a mid-air jump over Queensland in September. The clip accompanies the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s (ATSB) investigation report into the skydiving mishap, which occurred on Sept. 20.

The ATSB said the diver managed to escape only after cutting through multiple lines using a hook knife. “Carrying a hook knife, although it is not a regulatory requirement, could be lifesaving in the event of a premature reserve parachute deployment,” ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said in an agency press release.

A group of 17 parachutists had reached about 15,000 feet above Queensland when the trouble began, said ATSB. As the diver prepared to exit the aircraft, the handle of his reserve parachute “snagged on the wing flap, deploying the chute inadvertently.” This dragged him backwards and sent another diver next to him into freefall.

The skydiver had a camera on his gear, and another fitted to the aircraft’s wing captured the incident, reported ABC News. The footage shows the reserve parachute deploying suddenly, pulling the man out of the plane before it becomes caught on the wing, leaving him suspended.

While hanging from the aircraft, the skydiver used a hook knife to cut himself free, then entered free-fall and deployed his main parachute. He landed safely with only minor injuries.

Mitchell said, “The pilot recalled feeling the aircraft suddenly pitch up, and observed the airspeed rapidly decreasing.” At first, the pilot suspected a stall, said Mitchell, adding, “But upon being told there was a skydiver hung up on the tailplane, they reduced power again.”

As the aircraft’s stability worsened, the crew instructed the other parachutists to jump for their own safety. Thirteen exited immediately, while two stayed long enough to watch the trapped diver begin cutting through his reserve lines. The ATSB said it took just under a minute for the diver to slice through 11 cords.

After the last skydivers exited the aircraft, the pilot glanced back and saw the torn parachute draped over the tail and damage to the leading edge of the horizontal stabiliser. The pilot, who also had a parachute, alerted air traffic control that he was “prepared to bail out during the descent if they deemed they did not have sufficient control to land the aircraft.”

Ultimately, that step was not needed. The aircraft made a safe landing, though the ATSB said the stabiliser was substantially damaged from the diver’s legs striking it.

Though unrelated to the incident itself, the ATSB also found that neither the pilot nor the operator had checked whether the aircraft was within its proper weight and balance limits.

Mitchell said that “fatal parachuting accidents have occurred in the past due to aircraft being loaded outside centre of gravity limits,” stressing that this highlights the need to complete “aircraft weight and balance calculations prior to each load.”