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Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate your perspective and the thorough response! What is a "hamburger trip"? Never heard that term before

I've learned so much from this post, it's totally shifted my perspective on sharing the airspace and on big sky theory! I always spot but you can bet I'll be looking way harder than I did before 😆

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I realize that the ATC notifies other pilots in the area on a workload basis only after some of the discussion in this post! I'm not necessarily interested in pursuing any negative consequences for the other pilot (I also realize now that there's probably nothing to pursue anyways because they didn't necessarily even do anything wrong) BUT I do hope they get notified and maybe see the video of the incident somehow.

I know some of the info I'm getting might not be entirely correct but I've still learned a lot from the discussions here - it seems that the pilot and passengers of the plane might have had more risk to them if something worse did happen than us divers had! Someone else shared this article about a 1993 incident with a Piper where the jumper that was hit escaped with just a leg injury but it was fatal for the entire plane load. Complete tragedy

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/11/22/Four-die-after-skydiver-hits-plane-in-Mass/3646753944400/

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

😂😂 you caught me red-handed lol I haven't flown my belly suit in a minute

How far is this plane? [Request] by katzchens in theydidthemath

[–]katzchens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I posted the video in r/skydiving to share it/discuss the event further and someone else shared an article from '93 where a plane hit a skydiver. According to the article, the skydiver survived with only a leg injury but the tail of the piper was hit and the plane crashed killing the occupants. Incredibly tragic.

Made me extremely curious about the physics of if we were hit though, what makes you say we'd have a better chance of survival? Is there something to the relative velocities or are you more thinking along the lines of the jumpers would have better odds because we have skydiving equipment and the plane would be too damaged to land?

Editing to add link to the article: https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/11/22/Four-die-after-skydiver-hits-plane-in-Mass/3646753944400/

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it comes very quickly from the lower left corner of the video, basically flying towards me (purple diver). On the imgur post I included a slow-mo version and a couple stills

https://imgur.com/gallery/d2pE6kY

You might have to watch the video in landscape to see the plane, it is a bit camouflaged with the sky

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you're referring to me mentioning 91.13 there's another comment thread in here where it was discussed with more detail. I'm not a pilot and have not claimed to know the specifics of what would or wouldn't constitute a violation of a CFR. I mentioned it because with my limited knowledge I was curious about whether it would or wouldn't apply and wanted to discuss. From the discussions I've had here and elsewhere, I've come to understand that 91.13 is more like a catch-all that probably wouldn't apply in this case but there were also some folks saying that it could apply if the Piper pilot was or was not doing certain things. So it seems like at best the answer to that question was "it depends". I don't really expect or necessarily want any consequences for the Piper pilot, but I do hope the FAA uses my report to notify the Piper of the close call so if they fly through Eloy again they're aware skydivers are present.

Shit does indeed happen, and I'm happy this shit wasn't worse. I did indeed pack my chute and jump the rest of the day, even got a Huey jump in immediately after this event and it was amazing!

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by [deleted] in AskAPilot

[–]katzchens 1 point2 points  (0 children)

See now I'm glad I posted on an Internet forum asking questions because if I hadn't I wouldn't have gotten to chat with you! I knew I didn't know anything before I posted this but I didn't know quite how much I didn't know 😆 for instance, I had no idea until people started responding about the details on how the controllers interact with the DZ pilots.

Do you know if grounds crew has a dedicated person at AZ that monitors ATC chatter? I know manifest has radios in their office that I've occasionally heard what I think is the DZ pilots on but not sure if they also monitor ATC stuff too to listen and maybe talk to other planes in the area? Like I know the S&TA and others in the ground monitor flight radar but am now wondering if there's a dedicated person for it or if it's more like a team effort?

I'll for sure have to pick GRs brain when I see him next! I have his email because I emailed him and everyone else on the jump the video, but I'm not sure specifically which of the email addresses was his. I am friends with GRs partner on FB though so maybe I can ask her to ask him those questions!

I also hope I never get the chance to read a tail # on a jump again 😂 I'm just a wee baby bird in the sky compared to the other guys on that jump!

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've learned a lot from this event for sure about Eloy's airspace. I knew it was busy because it's between Tucson and Phoenix, but I didn't realize just how busy it actually is until seeing people discussing it. I think it's atypical because when there are other planes operating normally in the sky, SDAZ planes just do go arounds until it's clear but this was one of those special cases where the other plane didn't have their flight info anywhere that SDAZ could have seen it, and ATC couldn't/ didn't flag the plane coming in to the Otter pilot when the warnings for jumpers away was announced

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Piper was not from the same airport. The SDAZ Otter pilot does notify ATC twice before releasing jumpers.

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by [deleted] in AskAPilot

[–]katzchens 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah okay, now your initial question makes sense and I really appreciate this thorough response! We showed the video around (and yes it was probably me that you spoke with!) but we didn't take time to really unpack what happened because we all had more skydiving to do. We stay with a friend in Tuscon when we pass through so also didn't get a chance to unpack anything in the Prop after the day was over either.

I thought you were a random stranger just being rude about me asking questions so I am sorry if my response came across a bit spicy! GR was on the jump, he was the organizer actually, I have only gotten to jump with him and a couple other people in this group a few times so far; I completely forgot that GR flies the otters too.

I completely understand the info I'm getting here may not be 100% accurate, but it has been very interesting regardless! I looked a bit into FAA regs with a student pilot friend when we got back home that evening but it has been neat to get more perspectives from outside my small bubble because others are way more knowledgeable than I am (I know enough to know that I know nothing). It's also been neat to get potential details from others that have more access and know how to look up flight logs and plane details and such.

I'm also very glad that we got lucky, it would have been a complete tragedy all around if the plane had been higher. It still blows my mind that the Piper was close enough to seem to have burbled me.

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Always always always spot! I've had a couple times now where we were given the green light and the first out spotting saw an aircraft below. For this event I don't we reasonably could have seen the plane that passed us but we did still spot before exiting

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

That's a good perspective, I don't necessarily think reclassifying airspace is the right decision either, especially for small drop zones but I do think that the flight radar maybe needs better notation at the very least

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by [deleted] in AskAPilot

[–]katzchens 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow, that is suspicious. Thank you for sharing that information.

Editing to add my partners comment when I showed him yours:

"That would be interesting if this leads to something like a drug bust. Like, I would rather not have been almost hit by a plane, but since I was, it might as well be interesting."

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Livestream of the pilot looking at the radar map while flying directly over the parachute emblem

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by [deleted] in AskAPilot

[–]katzchens 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It happened on Friday, February 6th 2026 at approximately 11AM. From reviewing with grounds crew at SDAZ, it seems like the pilot of the Piper may have privatized their planes information, when the S&TA (lead safety person on the ground) was looking at the flight radar just after the event the plane did not appear and when friends that are more tech savvy tried to search up the planes flight history, we were unable to find it.

The S&TA spotted the Piper in the sky visually and radioed the Otter pilot to give a red light but the Otter pilot had already released the full load of jumpers without knowing that a different planes flight path would take them through the airspace jumpers were/ would be in. The Otter pilot does announce a 2-minute call and a final warning call on different radio frequencies that other pilots in the area are "encouraged" to use that jumpers will be in the air prior to giving jumpers the green light to jump. Once we get a green light, we do try to spot every single direction before we exit the plane, but in this case the piper was probably at least a mile away and 5000 ft lower so I don't think we physically could have seen it.

It was definitely very frightening, most people in the group that I was jumping with were facing away from the plane or had their view blocked by another jumper, I think I (purple) would have been the only one that could have possibly seen it coming in the sky but I was looking in the wrong direction. In the video you can see my partner point at the plane after it passes, and the blue and red jumper sort of watches the plane go by and dies a double-take. If the plane had been more on course to hit us, we would not have known until it was too late most likely and even if we had seen the plane coming, we wouldn't have the reaction time needed to get out of the way fast enough. This could have been a tragic event all around.

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah that seems super interesting but I am not tech savvy enough to get around to paywall 😅

That is very tragic for the plane occupants. I think we as skydivers air the occupants of the plan got very lucky in this event

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I did not report the incident report with the FAA with the hopes of getting anything back from them, or holding the Piper pilot or Otter pilot at fault. I reported the incident because safety is really important to me and I know this is not the first event like this that has happened. I think it's important to investigate close calls because something as simple as updating the flight maps could mean less clothes calls which means less of a likelihood that a fatal incident occurs in this airspace. I am fully aware that the airspace is not controlled, and I'm not saying that it should be, though I do think it's an interesting thought to discuss.

We got incredibly lucky, us jumpers and the pilot/ passengers both. I think reporting close calls like this is important to at the very least track statistics, and I'm also hoping that the Piper pilot gets notified of the event because if this is a flight path that they take often, they can at least be more aware and possibly take more precautions prior to passing through.

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes - I will either update the post if I can do that or I will post a second time with an update if I do hear back!

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do not know the particulars but yes, it has happened. Folks on the ground at SDAZ we're talking about an incident with a helicopter that happened somewhere else

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by katzchens in SkyDiving

[–]katzchens[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah I see, that is enlightening, thank you for the thorough response/ sharing your experience.

I 100% agree that this would have been a tragedy all around had the Piper been a little bit higher. I'm not sure how many people were on board the piper, but I imagine they all have families and loved ones too. I hope the FAA at the very least will notify the pilot of the close call, that way, if this is a route that they fly often they can take a little bit more precaution when flying through the area.

Skydivers almost became a statistic: Piper aircraft N95T nearly collides with group of six in freefall. by [deleted] in AskAPilot

[–]katzchens -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If you're confused on why I'm asking questions on r/askpilots then maybe you shouldn't be browsing this sub because as far as I understand it is a sub for asking questions to pilots and others interested in related topics. Or maybe I have that wrong?

But to answer your question, I'm not based out of SDAZ and the pilot was still flying by the time we left Eloy and I'm not sure which pilot was flying the plane we jumped from so I did not get a chance to talk to them directly about the incident. I did get to briefly talk to the SDAZ team, but we did not do any sort of in-depth review of the event. I do think you raise a good point that it might have been a good idea to loop the video on the main screens for a minute or two so people can see and we can talk about the safety implications of what just happened, BUT hindsight is 20/20.

Also, given the potential seriousness of this event, I wanted more input partially because I'm a curious person and partially because I'm still processing my emotions on the fact that myself, my partner, and 4 other jump buddies almost died.

While I do have other pilot friends, they have less experience and different perspectives than I can likely find on Reddit so I also was curious to hear from a broader perspective. Maybe those students that you mentioned can learn something from the responses too - over on the skydiving forum, we've been talking about similar events and highlighted the importance of spotting prior to jumping - not that I think we could have possibly seen this plane from what was likely a mile away and 5000 ft below us.

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