Two planes carrying skydivers had a midair collision last night over northwest Wisconsin near Lake Superior. But everyone survived because they were planning to skydive out anyway. Additionally, one pilot was able to eject and the other landed his plane safely, even though it was severely damaged.
It’s unclear what caused the crash at 12,000 feet, but the the skydiving instructors, from Skydive Superior, say that some of the passengers had already left their planes and the others jumped out as soon the collision caused an explosion. A wing also separated from one of the planes. Mike Robinson, an instructor, said “All of us knew we had a crash . . . The wing over our head was gone, so we just left.” Casual.
The skydivers said they were falling faster than debris from the crash so they were able to open their parachutes between 3000 and 5000 feet and steer to safety. Everyone involved met with Federal Aviation Administration representatives today. [USA Today]
Photo courtesy of Lachlan Rogers/Flickr