An Australian skydiver’s parachute wrapped around a plane wing as he started his descent and the jumper only managed to save himself by cutting the offending chute free.
The incident occurred when the skydiver accidentally released his reserve chute and became tangled around the tail of the plane while exiting the Cessna Caravan aircraft at 15,000ft.
In less than a minute, the skydiver used a hook knife to cut 11 lines from the tangled reserve chute, freeing himself from the aircraft.
The Far North Freefall Club, in Far North Queensland, was on its third round trip of the day when the terrifying ordeal occurred.
The skydiver survived the incident, which occurred in the state of Queensland during a stunt in September but has only just been revealed following investigations by the transport safety watchdog, AFP reports.
A video released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) shows the participant’s reserve parachute being activated after its handle snagged the rear wing flap of the plane.
The jumper was flung backwards with his legs striking the aircraft as the orange reserve parachute wrapped itself around the plane’s tail.
While dangling over the terrifying drop, the jumper avoided disaster by cutting the lines of the reserve chute with a hook knife and freed themself, the bureau said per the AFP report.
The skydiver then deployed the main chute and landed safely on the ground.
Another parachutist fell from the plane in the process.
“Carrying a hook knife — although it is not a regulatory requirement — could be lifesaving in the event of a premature reserve parachute deployment,” the bureau’s chief commissioner Angus Mitchell counselled after the release of the vision of the incident.
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