A report by federal air crash investigators says a skydiver was during a jump in Longmont when the skydiver struck the back of a twin-engine propeller plane after leaping from its fuselage.
According to preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board released Thursday, the skydiver left the plane — a Beech E-90 King Air — on June 27 as the pilot was configuring the aircraft for a jump.
The report says the pilot told investigators he “felt the flight controls shake, but the flight instruments and gauges appeared normal. He then felt a jolt in the flight controls and heard a ‘thud’ sound.”
The pilot saw that three skydivers had jumped from the propeller plane even though he had only activated an amber light in the aircraft to let them know it was safe to open the door and spot the landing, the NTSB report says. Another person aboard told the pilot a skydiver had struck the plane’s tail.
Investigators say the airplane had substantial damage. No one on the plane was injured.
“The airplane was registered to and operated by Mile Hi Skydivers Inc.,” according to the NTSB.
A man who picked up the phone at the business Friday said no one was available to comment.
There were 15 skydivers aboard the plane, one of whom was a student, the NTSB report said.
