Skydiving Plane Crash-Victoria Australia-No Fatalities

[ltdiver 3]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17673116%255E23349,00.html


Skydivers jump to safety as plane hits the surf

Natasha Robinson
28dec05

TWO skydivers were perched in a Cessna 172 flying 10,000ft above Victoria's surf coast yesterday when the small plane's engine began to stutter. As the 19-year-old pilot struggled with the controls, the order came for them to jump - immediately.

Minutes later, the plane slammed nosefirst into the water about 30m from Torquay's crowded White Beach, flipping in front of a horrified crowd.
When the shocked pilot swam from the wreckage and ran up the beach, onlookers realised they had not witnessed a fatality. But the adrenalin was still pumping for Constable Nigel Bullis from Victoria's Police Air Wing, who was on a routine patrol. He had watched the plane fly directly into the path of his helicopter before careering into the water about 12.40pm.

Constable Bullis said he believed the two skydivers had already ejected from the plane when its engine started "running rough" at about 10,000ft before failing altogether at 2000ft.

But surf lifesaver Damian Holman said the pilot told him the Cessna's engine had stalled at 10,000ft, when the skydivers were told to jump immediately.

"He instructed his parachuters to jump out - he was able to re-start his aeroplane, but was unable to land it," said Mr Holman, who treated the pilot for mild shock.

Beachgoers were treated to the bizarre spectacle of the mangled plane being towed up the beach by two tractors, accompanied by State Emergency Services crew.

"We don't normally pull planes out of the drink," said Torquay Angling Club captain John Albrecht, who drove one of the tractors. "We normally just pull jetskis and cars out."

Mr Albrecht was standing on the beach when he saw the plane plunge into the water.

"I looked up - I saw the bloody plane, it just tipped in," he said.

The pilot, from Sunbury, northwest of Melbourne, worked for the Tiger Moth Adventure Company, but the company that conducted the skydive was believed to be Australian Skydive, which leases Tiger Moth's airstrip and uses its pilots.

Constable Bullis said the pilot had tried to land on the beach but had lost momentum, and with his engine out of action, could not make it. "As soon as he got behind the lee side of the sand dunes, he lost all of his head-wind and he just had to push the nose down to keep his airspeed up," Constable Bullis said. "He's just crashed about 20metres short of the beach into the water and flipped upside down."

Two hours later at Moorabbin airport in Melbourne's southeast, a helicopter flipped on to its side during landing. The chopper suffered about $70,000 worth of damage, but the two occupants were uninjured.

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[NWFlyer 2]

Wow... sounds like he did a great job getting himself and his jumpers down safely.

Wonder where the jumpers ended up?

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[FrogNog 1]

I'm still waiting for corroboration that the pilot "told" the jumpers to leave.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

I'm still waiting for corroboration that the pilot "told" the jumpers to leave.

Yeah, he would have to be pretty quick about it, to keep from seeing their feet falling away from the door!

[douggie 0]

Sounds like poor piloting skills to me. Lets be honest its not that hard to land a cessna 172 after an engine out, especially when you have 10,000ft of altitude to figure things out. Damn crazy Australians, they are always going BIG!

[sundevil777 102]

Sounds like the engine didn't quit completely, so maybe the pilot was still getting and counting on some power during the approach. Would have been better to treat it as a dead stick and just idle the engine, let it stall and leave it alone.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[CrazyL 0]

No fatalities is the best news. Thanks. If a pilot tells jumpers to jump,hope for altitude, jump. Happened to me once while leaving boogie. Pilot gave me a choice to land with or jump this began between 1800 and 2000 feet, was out by 1500feet. cleared a/c,pulled main, watched a/c dive. we landed similar time, him on runway, me in field. Replaced alternator, he ask if i was ready to go I ask him to test fly and come back to pick me up. From then on it was all good. Listen to the pilot, they may very well save your life.Ballsy pilot for going down with his ship. Do the jump pilots in Australia wear parachutes? Good pilot considering the situation.

[artistcalledian 0]

Quote

Wow... sounds like he did a great job getting himself and his jumpers down safely.

Wonder where the jumpers ended up?

at the nearest bar LOL

________________________________________
drive it like you stole it and f*ck the police