Skydivers survive mid air plane collision in Wisconsin

2014-04-19 26

Originally published on November 4, 2013

A group of eight skydivers and two pilots survived with minor injuries after the two planes they were riding in collided at 12,000 feet (3,700 metres) in the air. The group was participating in a parachute jump near Superior in Wisconsin when the accident took place around 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening (November 3).

According to spokesman Roland Herwig of the Federal Aviation Administration, Cessna 185 and 182 aircrafts were taking the group from Skydive Superior for a jump. Four people were ready to jump from the leading Cessna 182, and three people were ready to jump from the trailing Cessna 185. Meanwhile, two skydivers remained seated in the second plane. Each aircraft had one pilot.

The trailing Cessna 185 somehow ended up on top of the leading plane right before the collision. Passengers reported seeing a ball of fire before the first plane began to break apart. The four divers who were at the door of the first aircraft jumped after the collision, while three divers in the second plane were thrown in the impact. The pilot of the first plane and the seated skydivers in the second also managed to escape and jump from the planes. Although the Cessna 182 was damaged in the collision, the pilot was able to land it successfully at Robert I. Bong Airport in Superior, Wisconsin, the location from where the vessel took off.

All skydivers involved were either trained instructors or coaches, and managed to open their parachutes somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 feet and land safely.

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