Worst Air Accident In History | Lake Erie Skydiving Disaster
Considered the second worst air accidents for lives lost after jumping and the worst air accident for skydiving in history.
Listen to how breaking one rule, ended multiple lives.
To view the list of sources, visit: www.occurrencepod.com
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Occurrence is hosted by Tatiana
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Lake_Erie_skydiving_disaster
- https://www.thehuronhistoricalsociety.org/august-1967-tragedy-puts-huron-in-the-news/
- https://sanduskyregister.com/news/8543/disaster-50-years-ago-killed-16-sport-parachutists/
- https://books.google.com/books?id=zHNBAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false
- https://www.aerovintage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4439&p=10587&hilit=roger+lopez#p10587
- https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/274815/a-life-spared-man-didnt-take-flight-that-led-to-16-parachuter-deaths-in-1967/
- https://www.dropzone.com/forums/topic/55706-lake-erie-b25----long/
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Tatiana: 15 men and one woman
were the ultimate victims in a
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series of collective rule-breaking
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safety regulations exist for a reason.
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And today I want to dive into a
story that shows the importance
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of following those very rules.
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For skydivers involved, their decision to
ignore a crucial rule would lead to the
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deadliest skydiving disaster of that time.
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be cause, you know what they say?
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Safety regulations are written in blood.
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I'm Tatiana and this is occurrence.
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It's August 27th, 1967, and a group
of around 30 skydivers have gathered
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at ortner airport in Wakeman, Ohio.
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They were all excited to jump
together from a privately
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owned, modified war plane.
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It was a cloudy and chilly
morning and everyone was wearing
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extra layers to keep warm.
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The plan was for all the
skydivers to jump together.
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And take advantage of this unique jump.
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But there was one thing to note.
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This event was not sponsored
by any skydiving organizations.
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It was a group of enthusiasts
who came together to enjoy
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their passion for skydiving.
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The day started with a delay
due to the cloudy conditions.
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They checked the conditions in
the morning, but didn't do a
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second check before takeoff.
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As they loaded onto the plane
and prepare for takeoff.
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They realized that there were too many
people and the plane was overloaded.
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They had to come up with a
solution to decide who would get
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to make history on this jump.
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It was decided that the
most experienced divers.
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Would be chosen.
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This meant that the less experienced
divers had to forfeit this opportunity.
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It was a tough decision, but one that
they believed would prioritize safety.
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And, unknowing at the time.
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Was a decision that spared their lives.
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Out of the group, the 20 most experienced
skydivers were selected to jump.
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Among them were 17 members of the
United States parachute association.
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Who had already completed at
least 75 jumps and some with
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over 200 jumps under their belt.
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Before the jump as with any
risky activity, everyone
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signed liability waivers.
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These waivers acknowledged the risk
involved and state that the business
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or people running, it will not be
held responsible for any mishaps.
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It's a standard practice to
ensure everyone understands
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the potential dangers.
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The plan was for 18 divers to jump
from 20,000 feet while the remaining
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two would jump from 30,000 feet.
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When the plane circled back.
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The parachutes would deploy at
3000 feet, ensuring everyone
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had enough time to land safely.
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Now here's where things took a turn.
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The jump didn't involve
just one plane, but two.
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The main plane was the
north American, B 20.
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Five Mitchell bomber.
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That's the plane the
jumps would happen from.
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This was flown by Robert
Carnes and Richard Wolf.
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It was accompanied by a cessna 180
sky wagon flying around 12,000 feet.
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To capture photographs of the jump.
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As the planes took off around 3:00 PM.
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The cloud cover prevented everyone from
having a clear view of their surroundings.
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In situations like this pilots
often rely on air traffic control
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for additional guidance and
information on their positioning.
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Both the bomber and the Cessna
contacted air traffic control
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to get location updates.
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The bomber pilot was the
first to make the call.
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Uh, requesting information
on his location.
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The controller placed him six
miles away from Ortner airfield.
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The Cessna pilot flying
at a lower elevation.
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Didn't have a visual of the bomber and
called air traffic control to confirm
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its positioning in relation to his own.
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However, the controller could
only see one plane on the radar.
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So he told the Cessna, he was probably
about six miles behind the bomber.
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What the controller didnt know was that
he had just mistaken the cessna's position
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on the radar for the bombers position.
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This led to the bomber pilot.
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Believing that he was now three
miles away from the drop zone.
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When in reality, he was
right on top of lake Erie.
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12 to 13 miles past the drop zone.
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It was after 4:00 PM and the Cessna
was still trying to locate the bomber
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as it was around the time the first 18
divers were supposed to be in the air.
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Unfortunately, he didn't find them.
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Meanwhile with the cloud cover, preventing
them from seeing what was below.
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The pilot gave the jump, master the signal
for the first 18 skydivers to jump at
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the pre-planned height of 20,000 feet.
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One by one, they jumped
from the planes for exits.
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They were doing freestyle maneuvers.
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So they were out one after the
other practically, simultaneously.
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When they finally broke through
almost 6,000 feet of clouds.
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Chaos ensued.
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They were met with a
horrifying sight below them.
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They had less than four minutes
to prepare for impact as they
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realized they were falling over
lake Erie and would land in water.
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In a desperate attempt to
reduce their weight and increase
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their chances of survival.
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Some of the skydivers immediately
began shedding clothing.
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Anything that would weigh
them down, had to go.
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They knew that landing in water
with all of that gear was dangerous.
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Meanwhile completely
unaware of the disaster.
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Unfolding beneath them.
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The bomber continued on his path.
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The request to ascend to 30,000 feet
for the remaining two divers to jump was
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initially denied by the control center.
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So the pilot had to
adjust his flight plan.
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And 20 minutes later, the
remaining skydivers were finally
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able to make their jump over the
correct area of the airfield.
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The bomber descended and safely landed.
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And once he and the Cessna pilot
were made aware of the situation.
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They got back in the air to try and
find the divers still in the water.
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OnLooker's witness parachutes opening
at different intervals, creating the
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illusion of a coordinated effort.
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Among those watching was an
off-duty coast guard, Lieutenant
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who immediately spring into action.
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He notified the coast guard
station and organized rescue
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efforts with civilian boaters.
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Despite the dangerous lake conditions,
the rescue operation began within minutes.
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Unfortunately, the four foot
waves, cold weather and strong
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winds, hampered rescue efforts.
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And out of the 18 skydivers
from the first jump.
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Only two were rescued.
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Two men on a pleasure boat.
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Were able to pull them from
the water just in time.
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They also pulled another diver from
the water, but tragically, they
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weren't able to resuscitate him.
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When the coast guard arrived, They
were pessimistic about finding
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any more survivors and eventually
shifted their focus to recovery.
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The remains of the final skydivers
were recovered on September 4th.
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The investigation by the national
transportation safety board
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or NTSB began immediately.
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It revealed several factors
that contributed to the accident
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by conducting three studies.
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The first determined that the divers
could not have drifted more than two
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miles, which effectively placed the
bomber three to four miles off shore.
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And 11 miles from Ortner.
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The second study, reconstructed the
flight path and reach practically the
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same conclusion for the plane's location.
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The third study, considered
the locations of both planes in
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relation to the locations they
were given by air traffic control.
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It concluded that the controller
mistook the Cessna for the bomber.
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In the end, the bomber pilot was
faulted for allowing a jump when
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he couldn't see the ground and
for not being rated to fly a B 25.
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the air traffic controller was
blamed for providing incorrect
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positioning information.
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Which led to the confusion and
misjudgment of the bombers location.
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There were steps.
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The controller was supposed to
take to verify where the planes
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are and how to properly locate ones
that don't appear on the radar.
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They neglected to follow those steps.
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Shockingly, the NTSB revealed
that the bomber was not certified
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or equipped to carry passengers.
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There was no seating beyond the cockpit
and it locked insulation and heating.
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It had technical limitations that
made it challenging for the pilot
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to navigate and communicate with
air traffic control simultaneously.
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The plane had navigation equipment,
but the pilot could not use it while
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listening to the control center.
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Which he neglected to tell
the air traffic controller.
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Now on a smaller scale and not as
big of a contributor to the disaster.
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Is that the oxygen equipment
available to the pilot required
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mask removal for communications.
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The degree of hypoxia experienced by
the pilot is unknown, but believed to
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be a non-factor in the accident overall.
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He didn't sound like he was experiencing
hypoxia on the plane recordings.
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And when he asked the copilot
how he seemed, he just told
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him his face was flushed.
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They turned up his oxygen and
he appeared to balance back out.
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The NTSB determined hypoxia wasn't
even a concern until after the first
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drop, but before the second one,
The investigation concluded that the
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accident was primarily caused by.
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The failure to follow safety rules, lack
of proper communication and the disregard
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for the weather and visibility conditions.
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It also stated that the skydivers were
not without fault for jumping under those
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conditions, considering their experience.
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The rule they decided to disregard
was the rule that skydivers
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are prohibited from jumping.
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If they don't have a
clear view of the target.
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Specifically skydivers are banned from
jumping certain distances around clouds.
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Above below and horizontally from them.
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It's simple.
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If you can't see where you'll
land, then it's not safe to jump.
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Pilots are even supposed to stop the jump.
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If they can't get enough clearance.
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And that's a rule with the United
States parachute association and
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the federal aviation administration.
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And the aftermath of the accident,
some of the survivors and the
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estates of the deceased divers.
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Took legal action against
the United States for the air
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traffic controllers error.
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And a civil suit.
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The court held the United States liable
due to the controllers negligence.
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And in a following appeals case.
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The skydivers were found.
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Not to be at fault because the
rule that they broke was not made
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for the safety of skydivers, but
for those they might hit instead.
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So even though the NTSB considered
them to be at fault civilly,
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they weren't because there was no
added negligence on their part.
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I do want to know something though.
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And the report, the survivors told
investigators that due to the construction
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of the plane, They couldn't see below
them until they were out of the plane.
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They literally couldn't see the clouds
or surface directly below the aircraft
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during the climb out and initial jump.
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They saw glimpses straight out
through cloud brakes, but could not
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clearly see if it was land or water.
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And remember they were
all jumping back to back.
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Everyone was out in 20 seconds, max.
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They were fully trusting the pilot
to be in the correct location
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with a clear view of the ground.
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I suppose it emphasizes the significance
of ensuring your own safety.
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This tragic accident serves
as a reminder that safety
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regulations exist for a reason.
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They're designed to protect
everyone involved and to prevent
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such devastating incidents.
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It's a lesson that should be heated by
all who engage in high risk activities.
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Now you might be wondering
what happened afterwards.
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Well, and the two years following
the accident, skydivers conducted
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Memorial jumps as a way to remember
those who lost their lives.
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They would throw a reef out of a
plane and then intentionally jump
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into lake Erie, wearing light clothing
and flotation devices to be safe.
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And more recently in 2020.
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One survivor who had gotten off the
plane before it took off, expressed
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his intention to celebrate his 90th
birthday by doing the same jump in 2024.
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Which I think is a Testament to the
resilience and love for skydiving that
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exists with people who participate in it.
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The bomber pilot had his license
suspended indefinitely, but allegedly
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it only lasted a year and he would
still fly during the suspension.
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As long as there was a
co-pilot in the plane with him.
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The air traffic controller stuck
to his story, that the bomber
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was inland until the very end.
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It's not clear if they had
any other consequences due to
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their part in what happened.
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And as for the plane.
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Well, it's ending solidified
my opinion that no one should
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have ever been flying it at all.
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In August of 1970, just a few
weeks before the third anniversary
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of the lake Erie disaster.
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The bomber took off from Turner
falls and headed about a dozen miles
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east to orange municipal airport.
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The pilot was allegedly practicing
additional takeoffs and landings on
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the somewhat longer runway there.
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The plane had been sold and the
pilot had to take it to its buyer.
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The NTSB report described the
purpose of the flight as practice.
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Apparently the FAA office nearby
said the practice landings were
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necessary because the pilot had
not flown the aircraft for 90 days.
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And according to regulations had
to reactivate his status before
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taking passengers on the plane.
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So according to the report,
the plane was on its second.
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Go around with the gear and flaps down.
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The pilot added power
and the plane stalled.
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It rolled to the left and
hit the ground inverted.
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The NTSB faulted the accident as
the pilot, attempting to fly a plane
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beyond his experience level and his
failure to maintain flying speed.
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This same pilot logged over
500 hours flying in the air
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force before he was discharged.
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And logged around 30 hours
flying in smaller planes after.
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It was noted that he had it
flown that type of aircraft
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for about 11 years though.
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I witnesses on the ground, including the
ground crew at the crash site reported.
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Seeing the plane upside down
overhead before it hit the ground.
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It was pretty much nose first.
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Just past where they were standing.
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The pilot.
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Roger Lopez was the only person in
the plane and he died in the crash.
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Now it's clear that accountability lies
with multiple parties involved, but it's
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important to remember that accidents
like these should serve as a lesson for
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better safety practices in the future.
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So, what do you think about one of the
deadliest skydiving accidents in history?
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Who do you believe bears
the most responsibility?
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Leave a comment with your
thoughts and stay safe.
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This podcast is available wherever
you prefer to stream podcast.
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And a video version you
can watch on YouTube.
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All sources and additional
information or in the description.
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See you next time.