By Alec Fernandes
Terrifying video recently released by investigators shows a skydiver caught on a plane's stabilizer 15,000 feet in the air. The incident took place above Tully Airport in Queensland, Australia, moments after the passengers began their exit from a Cessna Caravan for a planned 16-person aerial formation.
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), one skydiver's reserve parachute deployed prematurely as he was jumping out of the plane. The sudden drag defied his momentum, violently jerking him backward. The man struck the wing with his legs before the parachute snagged on the plane's horizontal stabilizer, leaving him suspended in midair beneath the aircraft.
While dangling thousands of feet above the ground, the skydiver grabbed his hook knife and cut through 11 separate suspension lines, eventually freeing himself. Despite the chaos, he successfully deployed his main parachute and landed with only minor injuries. The tail of the aircraft also sustained damage, forcing the pilot to declare a "Mayday" while preparing to bail out of the cockpit, yet he also managed to land safely.
In the wake of this mid-flight mayhem, ATSB has stressed the importance of carrying hook knives while skydiving and maintaining strict awareness of gear handles.