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A younger pilot died in a “fluke” accident shortly after a gaggle of skydivers jumped from her plane in upstate New York.
The Niagara County Sheriff’s Workplace confirmed that Melanie Georger, 26, was killed whereas at the controls of her plane, a single-engine Cessna, which crashed on the Niagara Scenic Parkway about 15 miles from Niagara Falls on Saturday.
The pilot was within the technique of attempting to land her aircraft when the incident occurred.
“The place it landed was simply off the parkway. We glance to the west close to Fort Niagara, it’s filled with soccer gamers in the present day.” Michael Filicetti, the county sheriff mentioned in an interview with WIVB on Sunday.
“We’re fortunate the place it landed, however it’s an unlucky incident.”
The Nationwide Transportation Security Board is main the investigation into the incident.
The sufferer had been working for Skydive the Falls in Youngstown, New York. One of many divers, Jeffrey Walker, mentioned he jumped out of her aircraft about half-hour earlier than it crashed.
“All the pieces was nice,” he mentioned. “It was nice climate, low winds, very calm winds. All people was excited. All people was in an excellent temper.”
The passenger mentioned that he thought one thing went unsuitable after the aircraft shortly crashed.
“It’s not like skydiving planes as soon as every week fall out of the sky and also you simply sort of dodge it,” he mentioned. “This can be a fluke accident. One thing went unsuitable.”
Walker mentioned he realized that he was near demise as soon as he noticed what had occurred.
“For some cause, God left me on Earth and I’m simply blessed to nonetheless be round,” he informed the TV station. “It’s simply an eerie feeling that I used to be on that aircraft actually a half-hour earlier than it crashed. Why didn’t it crash with us on it? Why didn’t it crash with extra individuals on it? It’s surreal.”
Walker described Georger as an excellent pilot who was nice at her job.
“I actually really feel dangerous for the enterprise and the corporate she was working for, as a result of they’re a fantastic firm,” he added. “I assumed they did a fantastic job coaching.”
Georger’s father, Paul Georger, launched an announcement on Fb following her demise.
“Family and friends, my life as I do know it ended in the present day. My beloved daughter, my greatest pal and one of many two lights of my life handed away abruptly in the present day,” he wrote.
The tribute continued: “Melanie was a pilot, on the cusp of realizing her dream to fly for the airways. She was doing what she cherished, flying for a neighborhood skydiving firm when her aircraft crashed. She had discharged her passengers and was flying again to select one other load when she crashed. Kelli, Tim and I are devastated. She was solely 26.”
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