Brett
04-24-2005, 10:08 PM
DELAND, Florida (AP) -- A skydiver lost both his legs when he struck the wing of a plane as he came down and later died from his injuries, officials said.
Cinematographer Albert "Gus" Wing III had already opened his parachute when he hit the plane that he had jumped from Saturday morning over an airport in DeLand, central Florida, police said. His legs were severed at the knees.
He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Fourteen other skydivers were in the air at the time of the accident, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Holly Baker said. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
Mike Johnston, general manager of Skydive DeLand, said the accident was not common.
"There are about 15 million jumps every year," Johnston told The Daytona Beach News-Journal. "I only know of one other case where a sky diver was struck by an airplane."
Cinematographer Albert "Gus" Wing III had already opened his parachute when he hit the plane that he had jumped from Saturday morning over an airport in DeLand, central Florida, police said. His legs were severed at the knees.
He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Fourteen other skydivers were in the air at the time of the accident, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Holly Baker said. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
Mike Johnston, general manager of Skydive DeLand, said the accident was not common.
"There are about 15 million jumps every year," Johnston told The Daytona Beach News-Journal. "I only know of one other case where a sky diver was struck by an airplane."