Airplane Became Entangled In The Jumper's Parachute Cords

The pilot of an airplane that was involved in a midair collision with a skydiver near Tampa, Florida Saturday says it's difficult to know exactly what happened when the plane and the jumper wound up occupying the same airspace.

The pilot was 87-year-old Sharon Trimbley. He told television station WTVT that he was on approach for South Lakeland Airport in Mulberry, FL as the skydiver, 49-year-old Steven Frost, was also landing. Trimbley said he pulled back sharply on the stick of his airplane to avoid hitting Frost, and had he not done that, "he would have been dead and you can see that from the pictures."

The plane instead became entangled in Frost's parachute cords, which tossed him into the air. Both then hit the ground. The airplane impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude.

Frost told the station he also made some quick decisions which he things helped him survive the accident. The skydiver, with fewer than 100 jumps to his credit, said he curled up in a ball to make himself a smaller target, and also tried to speed up to get out of the way of the airplane.

Frost said he was "extremely lucky." He was largely uninjured but for some scrapes and bruises. Trembley also suffered non-life-threatening injuries, including bruised vocal cords and a cut on his neck that required stitches.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov