A skydiving plane crash in Georgia on Saturday claimed the lives of four people, including a U.S. Army soldier who was a member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, The Golden Knights, Fox News reported.
The crash happened around 2 p.m. at the end of the runway of the East Georgia Regional Airport as the plane carrying five passengers for The Jumping Place Skydiving Center from Statesboro was taking off.
The sole survivor was rushed to a hospital in Augusta, Fox 54 reported. The remaining four were pronounced dead at the scene.
Among them was 31-year-old Aliaksandr "Slex" Bahrytsevich, The Golden Knights member who was off duty at the time of the crash.
According to a Facebook post by the Army, Bahrytsevich was “extremely passionate about the sport of skydiving and always sought opportunities to coach and mentor other members of the team.”
“Alex served the US Army with distinction and pride,” the post said.
The three other victims have not been identified.
Sheriff J. Tyson Stephens said the other victims did not live in the area and that one may have been from overseas, The Statesboro Herald reported.
“This is the worst crash, as far as fatalities, that I've seen as sheriff for 34 years in Emanuel County,” he said.
The Jumping Place Skydiving Center said in a post to Facebook “we have suffered an enormous loss,” and had “lost loved ones” in the crash.
While the odds of dying in a skydiving accident are relatively low, there have been several incidents that have taken place over the past year.
In May, a 26-year-old school teacher from Suffolk died from injuries caused by a heavy skydiving landing, Metro reported.
And in October, three people died in Australia after a solo skydiver collided with a pair on a tandem leap, The Telegraph reported.
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