Media, Police, FAA All Critical Of Both Pilot And Jumper
The pilot of a
DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter and a skydiver -- close friends, by
all accounts -- often played a daredevil game of "chicken," racing
to see who would land first. The loser had to buy the beer. But the
last time they flew together, the loser lost his life.
That's the gist of an FAA report on the death of veteran
skydiver Albert "Gus" Wing III, 50, whose legs were severed at the
knees just as he deployed his parachute over Deland, FL, April
23rd. The FAA said Wing was able to maneuver his canopy close to
the airport, but died of his injuries a short time later.
"It seemed to be common knowledge that the two of them would
play 'chicken' sometimes and would race to see who can get back on
the ground first. Phrases like, 'Whoever is last to land buys the
beer.'" the Deland Police Department said in its report
recommending criminal charges against Skydive Deland pilot William
Buchman, according to documents obtained by the Daytona Beach
News-Journal.
Buchman's license has now been revoked. In issuing the
revocation, the FAA stated, "Your operation caused the aircraft to
collide with Albert G. Wing who sustained fatal injuries including
both of his legs to be severed above the knee. In addition, there
was substantial damage to the aircraft. Such conduct reflects an
airman who is either unwilling or unable to comply with basic
regulatory requirements governing flight operations."
The reports were also
based, in part, on the statements of witnesses like pilot
Christopher Hayes, who was the first to reach Wing after he landed.
He told police that Buchman's DHC-6 (file photo of type,
above) appeared to be flying well below pattern altitude as he
made his approach to land.
"I first thought he was going to clear the divers, but one of
the divers was slowly controlling his shoot (chute) to the ground,"
Hays wrote in a statement to the DeLand Police Department. "At
approx that time the left wing of the aircraft struck the diver
from behind."
Aero-News publisher Jim Campbell, himself an accomplished
skydiver, suggested the authorities might have taken some of the
statements made by Wing, Buchman and witnesses too literally.
"There's a certain 'gallows humor' prevalant in skydiving. It's
something an outsider might not understand."
Buchman's lawyer strongly disagreed with the police and
government statements, calling the mid-air between diver and plane
"a tragic accident, nothing more than that," according to the
News-Journal.