Australian skydiver hangs 15,000 feet in the air after his parachute gets stuck on plane's tail in viral video; here’s how he survived the mid-air horror

A horrifying video has surfaced online showing a skydiver’s parachute getting caught on the tail of an aircraft, leaving them hanging 15,000 feet above the ground in Australia. The incident occurred in Far North Queensland involving a Cessna Caravan aircraft. According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the pilot had to make significant control inputs to maintain level flight after the parachute became snagged on the tail of the airplane during a jump run over Tully Airport.

The Cessna took off from Tully on September 20, 2025, with a pilot and 17 parachutists on board, planning for a 16-way formation jump from 15,000 ft filmed by a parachuting camera operator, ATSB said.

The agency said in its release, along with the video, that the pilot slowed the aircraft to 85 kt after reaching the desired altitude and extended 10° of flap, signaling the jump to begin. While the first parachutist was climbing out of the roller door, the handle for their reserve parachute snagged on the wing flap, deploying the chute inadvertently.





This dragged the parachutist suddenly backwards, and their legs struck the aircraft’s left horizontal stabilizer, substantially damaging it. The parachute then wrapped around the stabilizer, suspending the parachutist below the aircraft. “The pilot recalled feeling the aircraft suddenly pitch up and observed the airspeed rapidly decreasing,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell explained, according to the release.

“Initially unaware of what had occurred, the pilot believed the aircraft had stalled and pushed forward on the control column and applied some power in response. But upon being told there was a skydiver hung up on the tailplane, they reduced power again.”

How the stuck parachutist freed himself and landed

Meanwhile, 13 of the parachutists exited the aircraft, and 2 remained in the doorway, watching as the snagged parachutist used a hook knife to cut 11 lines from their reserve parachute, allowing the remaining parachute to tear, freeing them from the aircraft. During the freefall, the parachutist was able to release their main parachute, which fully inflated, despite becoming tangled in the remaining lines and canopy of the reserve chute. The parachutist then landed safely, having sustained minor injuries in the accident.

“With all parachutists out of the aircraft, the pilot assessed they had limited pitch control, given the substantially damaged tailplane, which still had a portion of the reserve parachute wrapped around it,” Mitchell said, according to the ATSB release. “With forward pressure, they found they could achieve a gradual descent and retracted the flap, which then allowed slightly more rudder, aileron, and elevator control.”

Pilot declares MAYDAY

The pilot maintained about 120 kt airspeed during the descent and declared a MAYDAY to Brisbane Centre ATC, advising they had minimal control input.

The pilot, who was wearing an emergency parachute, prepared to bail out during the descent if they deemed they did not have sufficient control to land the aircraft. But, descending through about 2,500 ft, they assessed they would be able to land.