It has been a tragic few weeks for the sport of skydiving, as two plane crashes have lit up news headlines across the world. The first occurred just over three weeks prior with the Oahu crash in Hawaii which saw 11 individuals lose their lives when their Beechcraft 65 King Air crashed, killing all on board.
Less than 3 weeks later there has been an additional plane crash, this time in Sweden, when a GippsAero GA8 Airvan crashed out of Umea airport, killing 9 people. The incident took place on the 14th of July around 2 pm local time. While little is known about what caused the incident, eyewitness video footage shows the plane descending rapidly, nose first, before crashing on Storsandskar island.
Eyewitness accounts further stated that they could see jumpers attempting to exit the aircraft while it was coming down. Another witness was quoted as saying that she had heard a loud noise coming from above before she saw the plane head straight down. Also of note were several witness accounts of the plane missing its wing on descent, with mention of a damaged tail too.
The following video was taken by a witness to the incident and shows a brief glimpse of the plane on its way down.
A regional spokeswoman was quoted as stating, ‘I can confirm that all those aboard the plane have died.’
At this point, very little information is available on this tragic event, and we will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
We’d like to extend our condolences to all those involved and their families. BSBD
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