Parachutists jump to safety before crash

[ardypilot]

A light plane crash-landed in a northern New Zealand vineyard yesterday, just minutes after six members of a parachute club had jumped to safety, emergency services said.

The pilot, who crashed the airplane after an apparent fire in its engine, received moderate injuries when the plane hit the ground amid the vines, said chief fire officer Peter Wilding, spokesman for the fire service in the northern city of Auckland.

The six parachutists jumped from the airplane once they realised it was in trouble, he said, adding that "the pilot stayed with the aircraft and landed it".

Police said the plane flipped over when it crashed, just 10 minutes after it had taken off.

All the parachutists had landed safely and been accounted for, Wilding said.

Wilding said the airplane had been carrying a full load of aviation fuel so foam had been sprayed on the wreck to suppress any further fire risk.

Two Civil Aviation Authority crash inspectors arrived at the site later to begin a detailed investigation into the crash.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/parach ... 93760.html

Just saw this on the news, it happened just outside Kumeu.

I couldn't make out the rego of the aircraft, but I saw the last letter of it was 'K', and it appeared to be a C182 or C206. Anyone knoew any further details on this?

[Zöltuger]

ZK-DHX is the rego. there's a photo of it in both of the Sunday papers today and here's a link to a clip of last night's one news with all the details.

conflicting reports on what altitude the jumpers bailed out at. anywhere between 1500 and 2500ft, which (i'm no expert) i assume is pretty damn close to the ground for parachuting

[ZK-Brock]

It said 3000 ft in the Nelson Mail.

[Craig]

As most of you know i skydive, we`re told below 1000ft HANG ON, above 1000ft EXIT EXIT EXIT.

THIS INFO IS FOR TANDEMS AS I COULDNT FIND MY SOLO TRAINING MANUAL

AIRCRAFT EMERGENCIES
Tandem canopies may take up to 1000' to
open, therefore exiting the aircraft below 1500'
is not recommended.
In the event of catastrophic aircraft failure, it
may be preferable to jump and have some
chance of survival.

Forced Landing Procedure -
Below 1000', instruct your student to brace for
the landing. Protect yourself. Once the aircraft
has come to a halt exit the aircraft with your
passenger as quickly as possible.

Low Level Exit -
Below 4000 feet - the AAD is set to activate
the tandem reserve at 2000'.
When exiting the aircraft at or below 4000',
pull your reserve ripcord immediately.
If you have to make an emergency exit and are
not already hooked up it is acceptable to attach
only the two top snaps and exit with your legs
wrapped around your passenger (if aircraft and
exit type permits). Ideally attach all four snaps
even if you do not have time to tighten them.
Be prepared!
Tell the student"¦
"Grip the harness, feet back -
head back"¦Arch!"Â￾

Above 4000 feet - You may be required to exit
the aircraft at a lower than planned altitude for
a number of reasons.
****Attach your student as normal
****Do a pre-exit check
****Exit the aircraft
****Deploy the drogue
****Pull the drogue release at the correct

Descent in Aircraft -
If you descend in the aircraft, position
yourselves away from the door. Observe
manufacturers' guidelines regarding AAD's.
At 1000' detach your student and reattach the
seat restraints. Maintain control of your student
throughout.
After landing assist the student to exit the
aircraft and escort them back to the
administration area. Beware the propeller!

http://www.apf.asn.au/Documents/Publica ... /sect3.pdf

[Charl]

It was practising for a fireworks display...
Who was it that said fireworks are not dangerous?
Fireworks can lead to crashes, said so on the news.

[Zenith]

It was practising for a fireworks display...
Who was it that said fireworks are not dangerous?
Fireworks can lead to crashes, said so on the news.

Ya it voz shot down by ze rocket ve fired