Pilot killed in crash after skydivers leap from plane near Niagara Falls

A 26-year-old aviator has died aft her level collapsed soon aft releasing a group of skydivers adjacent Niagara Falls.

Melanie Georger, 26, was nan only personification near on-board nan small, single-engine Cessna level erstwhile it collapsed Saturday, nan Niagara County Sheriff’s Office said. The level collapsed successful Youngstown, N.Y., astir 24 kilometres from Niagara Falls.

After an first investigation, constabulary wished that Georger had released each nan skydivers connected nan level and was heading backmost to onshore erstwhile she crashed. A mini brushwood occurrence collapsed retired astatine nan tract of nan crash.

Georger’s begetter Paul mourned his daughter’s decease successful a heartbreaking Facebook post.

“My beloved daughter, my champion friend and 1 of nan 2 lights of my life passed distant abruptly today. Melanie was a pilot, connected nan cusp of realizing her dream to alert for nan airlines. She was doing what she loved, flying for a section skydiving company, erstwhile her level crashed,” he wrote.

“She was only 26. My life is overmuch darker coming and will stay truthful for a agelong time.”

Georger was a aviator for Skydive nan Falls, constabulary revealed. The company, which advertises a scenic flyover of Niagara Falls earlier each skydive, has yet to publically remark connected its employee’s death.

A skydiver connected a formation piloted by Georger correct earlier nan 1 that collapsed said he felt blessed to beryllium live and lamented that her life was trim short.

“Why didn’t it hap erstwhile I was up there? Why didn’t it hap erstwhile we were each connected nan plane?” first-time jumper Jeffrey Walker told The Associated Press. He described nan events arsenic “surreal.”

He said he was unconcerned by nan pilot’s youth, and that she checked successful pinch him personally and shared encouraging words astir his tandem skydiving partner, boosting his assurance earlier he jumped.

“I springiness her props for wanting to do what she was doing,” he said. “I really consciousness bad for nan business and nan institution she was moving for, because they’re a awesome company. I thought they did a awesome occupation training.”

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In an question and reply pinch section connection WIVB-TV, Walker added that he was “on that level virtually a half hr earlier it crashed.”

Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti told nan section broadcaster that nan clang could person been moreover much deadly if nan level had landed conscionable a mates of 100 feet away, connected a recreational field.

“Where it landed was conscionable disconnected nan parkway. We look to nan westbound adjacent Fort Niagara, it’s afloat of shot players today,” Filicetti said. “We’re fortunate wherever it landed, but it is an unfortunate incident.”

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead nan investigation into nan crash.

According to a Facebook post from Eagle East Aviation, Georger earned her backstage aviator certificate successful July 2021.

— With files from The Associated Press