Australian authorities on Thursday released footage from a September incident, showing a skydiver left dangling thousands of metres in the air after their reserve parachute got caught on the plane’s tail. The group had planned a 16-way formation jump from around 15,000 feet, south of Cairns. But seconds after the first jumper moved towards the exit, everything went wrong.The video shows the jumper’s reserve chute opening by mistake after its handle snagged on the aircraft’s wing flap. The sudden pull dragged the skydiver backwards. Their legs hit the aircraft before the orange reserve canopy wrapped itself around the tail, leaving them hanging over empty air.The force also knocked the camera operator, who was waiting to jump, into freefall. For a few moments, the skydiver appears frozen, hands on their helmet, as if trying to process what just happened. Then, using a hook knife they were carrying, they cut the tangled reserve lines and freed themselves. They deployed the main parachute and managed to land safely.The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said carrying a hook knife is not mandatory, but can be lifesaving in situations like this.“Carrying a hook knife, although it is not a regulatory requirement, could be lifesaving in the event of a premature reserve parachute deployment,” said the bureau’s chief commissioner Angus Mitchell, as quoted by news agency AFP.The aircraft’s tail suffered heavy damage from the impact. The pilot briefly lost proper control and issued a mayday call, but still managed to bring the plane down safely.
