| From an eye-witness report: Graham Hoal was killed when he impacted a slowly-moving truck on the bridge over Theewaterskloof Dam. The surface wind was light and constant. Graham, a well-known and very experienced skydiver, had been involved in the planning of the manoeuvre. He jumped from a helicopter and had set up an approach toward the truck, as part of a sequence for a commercial.
The scene called for a descending approach over the water for a short way toward the driver's cab, following which the parachutist would turn away in plenty of time to land behind the truck on the bridge. Graham, other skydivers and the safety co-ordinators all considered the manoeuvre fairly straightforward.
To lessen the pressure on the skydiver and allow more space for a safe landing, only the 'horse' (driver's cab section) was used, the load-box of the truck having been removed. There was a safety-boat standing by (with engine idling) below the bridge, in case the parachutist was forced to abort the manoeuvre and land in the water. Several 'takes' for the scene were expected. He was wearing a good buoyancy jacket as part of the costume for the scene.
Graham impacted the truck as he lost height during a steep hook-turn; and from our perspective, might not have survived, even had he missed the truck. |
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