A US skydiver involved in a light plane crash has released dramatic footage from inside the aircraft's cabin to mark the one year anniversary of his brush with death.
At around 11am on December 4 last year, Kurt Steinbruch and four of his mates, all licensed, veteran skydivers, took off from Sussex Airport, New Jersey in a Cessna 205.
But as Mr Steinbruch's GoPro footage shows, the small plane had not yet finished its ascent when a mechanical failure occurred a height of about 275m.
The passengers all look remarkably calm, if a little tight-lipped, as the pilot steers the Cessna earthward, aiming it at a corrugated, muddy field that looks to have been recently tilled.
"There wasn't much to think about at the time because there wasn't anything we could do," Mr Steinbruch told NJ Advance Media.
"We just had to wait and see what happens."
Hitting a rough patch upon touchdown, the undercarriage was torn off as the plane flipped from nose to tail, hurling the thrill-seekers inside head over turkey.
"Get out! Get out!" someone can be heard yelling, as the skydivers scramble to disentangle themselves and get free of the cabin – fire is never far from the mind of anyone with flying experience.
"The pilot did an awesome job considering the field he had to put it into," said Mr Steinbruch.
Curt Kellinger, who co-owns Sussex Skydive with Richard Winstock, who was piloting the Cessna, told NJ Advance Media that the company never skimps when it comes to safety.
"We don't spare a dime when it comes to maintenance," Mr Kellinger said.
