(USNewsBreak.com) – Skydiving is a very popular extreme sport among those seeking the adrenaline rush. Up in the air, there’s a potential for many things to go wrong. The parachute could refuse to open, a person could pass out from the stress, or something could go wrong with the plane. The accident shocked a group of skydivers who recently jumped in upstate New York when the plane that took them on their adventure crashed just 30 minutes later. Sadly, the pilot died in the accident.
According to a statement from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, 26-year-old Melanie Georger was returning to Skydive the Falls on Saturday, July 20, to pick up more passengers after finishing a flight when something reportedly went wrong. Georger had tried to land the single-engine Cessna but couldn’t keep it from crashing on the Niagara Scenic Parkway. She died in the impact. The sheriff’s office began receiving reports of the accident around 11:40 a.m.
Young pilot dies in ‘fluke’ crash shortly after skydivers jump from her plane https://t.co/TypRrPmNcR pic.twitter.com/4TWTtLjHpd
— The Independent (@Independent) July 22, 2024
One of the passengers on her plane 30 minutes before it crashed, Jeffrey Walker, said something must have gone wrong, calling it a “fluke accident,” citing the conditions that day, which were “great weather, low winds.” He said Georger was a good pilot and Skydive the Falls is “a great company.” Walker also acknowledged that it was “an eerie feeling” that he was just on the plane minutes before it went down. The company did not comment on Georger’s death or the accident.
Georger’s father posted a heartwarming tribute to his daughter on Facebook, saying she set a goal “to fly for the airlines” and that “she was doing what she loved” when she died. She had gotten her private pilot certificate in July 2021.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. It will likely take months before any reports become available. Georger leaves behind her parents and a brother, Tim.
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