SKYDIVER HANGS 15,000 FEET AFTER PARACHUTE SNAGS ON PLANE TAIL IN AUSTRALIA . (PHOTO).

Skydiver hangs 15,000 feet after parachute snags on plane tail in Australia 

 Australian investigators have released striking footage showing a skydiver caught by his parachute on an airplane’s tail, leaving him suspended at roughly 4,500 meters (15,000 feet).

The incident involved skydiver Adrian Ferguson, who used a hook knife to free himself, sustaining only minor leg injuries. The accident occurred on September 20 at Tully Airport in Queensland, where a Cessna Caravan carrying Ferguson, 16 other parachutists, and a videographer had reached the altitude for a planned 16-way formation jump. The videographer, acting as a 17th parachutist, was positioned at the open door to film the jump.

According to the report, Ferguson’s reserve parachute ripcord snagged on a wing flap as he exited the plane, causing the chute to pull him backward. In the process, he struck the plane’s horizontal stabilizer and dislodged the camera operator, who fell safely. Ferguson then cut 11 lines of the tangled chute with a hook knife, allowing him to descend with a partially torn reserve chute. His main parachute deployed successfully despite the entanglement, enabling a safe landing.

While most skydivers had already jumped, the pilot remained in the plane with two skydivers on board, attempting to control the aircraft with the parachute still caught on the tail. A mayday was issued, and the pilot prepared to bail out, but air traffic controllers in Brisbane determined the plane was manageable. It ultimately landed safely at Tully.

“Carrying a hook knife — though not mandatory — can be lifesaving in cases of premature reserve parachute deployment,” said the transport bureau’s chief commissioner, highlighting the tool’s critical role in Ferguson’s survival.