Two Planes Carrying Skydivers Collide Over Lake Superior

NBC screenshot

On Sunday, two planes carrying a total of nine jumpers who were prepared for a normal day of skydiving, collided into each other at 12,000 feet above the ground. Skydiving instructor Mike Robinson was about to perform his fourth and final jump of the day when the plane he was in collided with the top of another plane, also carrying skydivers.

After the planes collided near Lake Superior in Wisconsin, everyone jumped, including the pilot, who used his emergency parachute to land. Between the nine skydivers and two pilots, no one sustained any serious injuries.

At the moment of the collision, Robinson and three others were on the step of the plane, prepared to jump. On the other plane, three were positioned to jump while two were inside. The skydivers on the step were knocked off upon impact, while everyone else jumped and the pilot from the plane that caught on fire ejected himself. The pilot from the other plane was able to safely land the plane despite a damaged propeller and wing.

“Any time two planes collide in the air, it’s a potential for disaster for everybody involved,” Robinson told NBC. “So we were all very, very lucky here.”

The divers that jumped were falling alongside fiery chunks of the plane they were just on. The divers were able to steer themselves to the landing spot while avoiding the crash site, however, the pilot had a parachute that could not be steered and suffered minor injuries.

As of now, the cause of the crash is unknown and the Federal Aviation Administration is still investigating.