KEY POINTS:
The man who crashed landed after taking a 12,000 foot skydiving jump yesterday was videoing a group of parachutists at the time of the accident.
Michael Holme, an employee of Great Lake Skydive Centre, ploughed into bush near Five Mile Bay in Taupo.
The Herald has learned that
Mr Holme apparently had trouble with his chute, with the chords getting tangled. He was unable to cut them free.
An inquiry has been launched but there are questions about the independence of the investigation, which is being carried out by an employee of Great Lake Skydive Centre and Taupo Tandem Skydiving.
A hospital spokeswoman told the Herald yesterday that while Mr Holme was stable and recovering in the emergency ward, he was in no fit state to be interviewed.
A police spokeswoman said the accident happened about 12.45pm. When Mr Holme hit the ground he lay unconscious for a time, but soon came around.
There was confusion yesterday about the extent of his injuries, with the company describing them as "minor" in a statement made late in the day.
But police initially said it was feared Mr Holme had fractured his ankle, and Great Lake Skydiving manager Hamish Funnell earlier said a broken knee was more likely. Mr Funnell, son of Lion Foundation Rescue Helicopter veteran John Funnell, said Mr Holme was flown to Waikato Hospital in the helicopter for observation. Mr Holme is understood to be in his mid-20s and has been with the company about three years.
"I don't know the full details of the story yet," Mr Funnell said.
"He just landed in blackberry bush."
The injured parachutist was part of a group that had jumped from a plane at 12,000 foot. A group of 8-12 were making the skydive, some of them in tandem.
Mr Holme was videoing the group and it was believed he would have footage of the fall.
It was unknown whether wind had played a part in the accident or if the parachute had malfunctioned, Mr Funnell said. He had not witnessed the accident himself.
The New Zealand Parachute Industry Association (NZPIA) was handling the inquiry into what happened, but Taupo-based investigator Hugh Barclay declined to say anything.
"We don't want to make suppositions or pre-judge anything." A number of people would be spoken to as witnesses, including Mr Holme.
Mr Barclay is an employee of both the Great Lake Skydive Centre and Taupo Tandem Skydiving, but said there was no conflict of interest in him carrying out the investigation.
"I'm doing it in accordance with the rules of NZPIA. If they are not happy with it they have got the right to come in and audit it and critique it."
Mr Barclay said his report would be available in the next few days and it would be passed on to Occupational Safety and Health.
FALLING FROM THE SKIES
Taupo Airport is the busiest parachute aerodrome in the Southern Hemisphere and has the world's largest commercial tandem skydive drop zone.
- In January 2003, a 25-year-old Welsh tourist was injured in a skydive accident at Taupo and was hospitalised with serious leg and arm injuries.
- In December 1998 Rangipo prisoner Matthew Neave drowned when his parachute landed in Lake Taupo. He was on a parole progamme at the time. The death led to the compulsory wearing of life jackets for skydiving companies that operated near bodies of water.
- In January 1997 John Stansfield and Taupo Tandem Skydive jumpmaster Michael John Jeffries plunged to their deaths due to equipment failure, timing, and human error. Things went wrong when the drogue, a small chute, failed to open.
