Yesterday, a skydiving plane, which took off from Taupo, fell into the lake. However, all the passengers and pilot escaped by parachute.
Six tourists paid for a tandem sky dive. They were each attached to an instructor who had a parachute. Usually the plane climbs to about 4,000m before the divers jump. However, yesterday, the engine failed soon after take-off. The plane was probably less than 1,000m high. Suddenly the engine stopped, the door opened and instructors shouted “out”. They had no time to prepare themselves. They each jumped, then the pilot who was also wearing a parachute, had to jump too.
Some of the skydivers landed in the water. One swam 200m to shore while others were picked up by boats in the area. The pilot and some of the skydivers landed in blackberry bushes.
The instructors and tourists were praised for remaining calm and doing the right thing. The pilot was praised for his quick thinking. This was the first time he had ever jumped from a plane.
The Taupo skydive company said the tourists can have a free jump when they return to Taupo.
If you don’t know what tandem skydiving is, click here .
Vocabulary
• take off (v, n), took off (past) – start to climb in the air
• tandem –2 people with 1 parachute, (a bicycle for 2)
• blackberry bushes have prickles which can hurt
• praise (v, n) – congratulate someone