Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 11, 2018 1:55:12 GMT 12
Tandem skydive passenger missing after Queenstown crash; company suspends operations
10 Jan, 2018 8:15pm
A commercial skydiving company has suspended operations while rescuers search for a missing passenger who plunged into Lake Wakatipu during a tragic tandem jump.
The search for the missing man saw over 20 rescue vessels and aircraft scour the Queenstown lake this afternoon.
The tandem skydive took a tragic turn after a possible parachute malfunction left two skydivers stranded in the cold and wind-swept waters of New Zealand's third largest lake.
The incident involved Queenstown skydiving company NZONE.
The skydive instructor was rescued and taken to hospital but the male passenger is still missing after a massive search and rescue operation failed to locate him before nightfall.
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An NZONE skydiving plane is seen during a search and rescue operation taking place on Lake Wakatipu after two skydivers from the company crashed into the lake. Photo / James Allen.
Emergency services were contacted at 1.42pm with a report that two skydivers had landed in the lake near Jack's Point settlement.
Eleven boats, a number of jet skis and planes, the Coastguard, water taxis, helicopters and other emergency services all battled against the windy conditions in a bid to find the skydiver, but rescue attempts were suspended at 6.30pm, at which time the missing man had already been in the water for several hours.
While police have said they will make an assessment on the situation tomorrow morning, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) have opened an inquiry into the accident and are expected to arrive on scene tomorrow.
In a statement, TAIC said the Commission's inquiry will seek to explain the circumstances and causes of the accident, with a view to helping prevent similar accidents in the future.
"TAIC has opened an inquiry into this afternoon's aviation accident at Lake Wakatipu in Otago.
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The NZONE skydiving base is seen after two skydivers from the company crashed into Lake Wakatipu. Photo / James Allen.
"It is tracking the continuing search and rescue operation, and deploying two investigators, expected to arrive on the scene as soon as practicable on Thursday," it said.
"The circumstances reported are that during a commercial tandem skydive, where the passenger is attached to a 'tandem master,' a possible malfunction of the parachute has resulted in the pair entering Lake Wakatipu.
"The tandem master has been recovered from the lake and taken to Queenstown hospital with reported serious injuries. The passenger is still missing."
It was unable to confirm further details while the search and rescue operation continued.
WorkSafe and the Civil Aviation Authority had also been notified.
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Search and rescue operation taking place on Lake Wakatipu after two skydivers from the NZONE company crashed into the lake. Photo / James Allen.
A CAA spokeswoman said it was yet to decide if it would investigate.
NZONE Skydive said skydiving operations had been suspended while the search was conducted.
"The highly experienced instructor, who has completed thousands of jumps, was completing a tandem jump with a male customer when they landed in a body of water," it said in a statement.
"One male is being treated at the Lakes District Hospital for minor injuries and is in a stable condition, and the search continues for the other person."
The company also made headlines in January last year after two of its instructors were seriously injured during a tandem training flight.
Sasa Jojic and Sasa Ljaskevic, both originally from Serbia, were hospitalised after performing a "dangerous" manoeuvre.
The pair hit the ground at Drift Bay, south of Jack's Point, at high speed and suffered serious injuries from the impact of their landing.
The CAA and WorkSafe also investigated that incident.
It is not known if either of these men were involved in today's accident.
Further updates are expected tomorrow.
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11972787
10 Jan, 2018 8:15pm
A commercial skydiving company has suspended operations while rescuers search for a missing passenger who plunged into Lake Wakatipu during a tragic tandem jump.
The search for the missing man saw over 20 rescue vessels and aircraft scour the Queenstown lake this afternoon.
The tandem skydive took a tragic turn after a possible parachute malfunction left two skydivers stranded in the cold and wind-swept waters of New Zealand's third largest lake.
The incident involved Queenstown skydiving company NZONE.
The skydive instructor was rescued and taken to hospital but the male passenger is still missing after a massive search and rescue operation failed to locate him before nightfall.
An NZONE skydiving plane is seen during a search and rescue operation taking place on Lake Wakatipu after two skydivers from the company crashed into the lake. Photo / James Allen.
Emergency services were contacted at 1.42pm with a report that two skydivers had landed in the lake near Jack's Point settlement.
Eleven boats, a number of jet skis and planes, the Coastguard, water taxis, helicopters and other emergency services all battled against the windy conditions in a bid to find the skydiver, but rescue attempts were suspended at 6.30pm, at which time the missing man had already been in the water for several hours.
While police have said they will make an assessment on the situation tomorrow morning, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) have opened an inquiry into the accident and are expected to arrive on scene tomorrow.
In a statement, TAIC said the Commission's inquiry will seek to explain the circumstances and causes of the accident, with a view to helping prevent similar accidents in the future.
"TAIC has opened an inquiry into this afternoon's aviation accident at Lake Wakatipu in Otago.
The NZONE skydiving base is seen after two skydivers from the company crashed into Lake Wakatipu. Photo / James Allen.
"It is tracking the continuing search and rescue operation, and deploying two investigators, expected to arrive on the scene as soon as practicable on Thursday," it said.
"The circumstances reported are that during a commercial tandem skydive, where the passenger is attached to a 'tandem master,' a possible malfunction of the parachute has resulted in the pair entering Lake Wakatipu.
"The tandem master has been recovered from the lake and taken to Queenstown hospital with reported serious injuries. The passenger is still missing."
It was unable to confirm further details while the search and rescue operation continued.
WorkSafe and the Civil Aviation Authority had also been notified.
Search and rescue operation taking place on Lake Wakatipu after two skydivers from the NZONE company crashed into the lake. Photo / James Allen.
A CAA spokeswoman said it was yet to decide if it would investigate.
NZONE Skydive said skydiving operations had been suspended while the search was conducted.
"The highly experienced instructor, who has completed thousands of jumps, was completing a tandem jump with a male customer when they landed in a body of water," it said in a statement.
"One male is being treated at the Lakes District Hospital for minor injuries and is in a stable condition, and the search continues for the other person."
The company also made headlines in January last year after two of its instructors were seriously injured during a tandem training flight.
Sasa Jojic and Sasa Ljaskevic, both originally from Serbia, were hospitalised after performing a "dangerous" manoeuvre.
The pair hit the ground at Drift Bay, south of Jack's Point, at high speed and suffered serious injuries from the impact of their landing.
The CAA and WorkSafe also investigated that incident.
It is not known if either of these men were involved in today's accident.
Further updates are expected tomorrow.
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11972787
