A skydiver is recovering in hospital after a rare and dramatic mid-air incident on Australia’s east coast, where his parachute became entangled with the wingtip of a passing private jet.
The incident occurred late Saturday morning near Newcastle, where a group of experienced divers had jumped from a light aircraft during a routine coastal skydive. According to emergency officials, the diver deployed his parachute normally but drifted off course due to a sudden wind shift. A privately operated business jet flying at a legally approved altitude crossed his path moments later.
Witnesses reported seeing the diver’s canopy whip upward and catch on the jet’s winglet, briefly suspending him before the fabric tore free. The jet suffered minor structural damage but landed safely at Sydney Airport shortly after, with no injuries to those on board.
The diver, a 32-year-old man from Sydney, fell several dozen metres before his reserve chute deployed automatically. He landed in the ocean and was retrieved by a rescue helicopter within minutes. Paramedics said he suffered a dislocated shoulder and mild hypothermia but was “extremely fortunate” to be alive.
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has launched an investigation into airspace coordination at the time of the incident. Both the skydive operator and the jet’s pilot are cooperating with authorities.
A CASA spokesperson described the event as “highly unusual,” noting that multiple layers of airspace separation typically prevent any conflict between skydivers and aircraft.
