Australia: Two skydivers die after falling from plane in Goulburn

A skydiving instructor and their customer, on Sunday, died after falling from the plane before a tandem jump in Australia. The accident happened in Goulburn in New South Wales where the two parachutists fell from the aircraft and landed near the runway, NSW police confirmed. Both of them had died by the time police and rescuers arrived at the scene. “They were located unresponsive and unable to be revived,” the police told reporters.

Plane facing difficulty 

Police also revealed that emergency services were contacted about the aircraft, carrying both the skydivers adding that it was facing “difficulty” just before 1 pm on Sunday. In the aftermath, Scott Marshall, from Adrenaline Skydive Goulburn expressed his condolence stating that it was a “horrible day”. He confirmed that “sadly” a tandem master and a passenger lost their lives. In the aftermath, NSW police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have launched an investigation into the tragic incident. A separate investigation is being conducted by the Australian parachute federation. 

“The instructor had over 2500 skydives, safety is paramount here and it was not a result of anything that the instructor did. It was one of those freak occurrences. The younger man, from what I heard, was really looking forward to it, I was talking to his mates and they said he really loved the adrenalin,' Marshall told reproters. 

Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald, Marshall further stated that everyone was in shock after the pair fell from the aircraft landing near the runway of the airport. It is believed that their parachutes became entangled which led to their deadly fall. 

Adrenalin Skydive Goulburn is owned and operated by John Ferrara. The Goulburn Airport owner and aviation aficionado opened the facility in March 2011. The institute on its website states that safety is its prime focus. "Along with chief instructor Matt Chambers our vision is to create the best skydiving centre in the country where customers can experience either a tandem skydive or the next step, learn to skydive solo at our skydiving school,' the statement reads. 

Image: raimondklavins/Unsplash