A wingsuit skydiver was decapitated 20 seconds into his jump after smashing into a plane’s wing in the South of France, it was revealed during the pilot’s manslaughter trial.
The incident took place in July 2018, according to the New York Post, which noted that Nicolas Galy, 40, was the first of two skydivers released from the single-engine Pilatus plane at 14,000 feet over the town of Bouloc-en-Quercy.
Shortly after, the pilot, referred to as 64-year-old Alain C, swiftly descended and caught up to the skydivers, who were gliding in their wingsuits. Galy, an engineer and skydiver with 226 jumps under his belt, was struck by the plane's left wing and a strut, resulting in his decapitation, as disclosed in the recent court proceedings in Montauban.
Subsequently, his emergency parachute deployed, and his lifeless body fell into a nearby field.
Following Galy's death, the pilot was charged with manslaughter, with prosecutors asserting that his mistakes led to the accident. Alain, in his courtroom defense, maintained his innocence, stating that Galy "did not follow the expected course and should never have been on that course."
According to the pilot, Galy was parallel to the plane, and Alain thought he was "further south."
"I think my flight path made sense," the pilot testified. "This has been the tragedy of my life but I am not at fault."
While on the stand, Alain, who worked for a local skydiving school, confessed that he hadn't briefed the skydivers and wingsuiters about the jump.
He later lost sight of the wingsuit jumpers and mistakenly believed they were no longer in his vicinity, despite acknowledging that "they don’t descend much and can be in conflict with the aircraft."
During the trial, it was revealed that the 64-year-old pilot was flying with an invalid license due to violations related to an undisclosed medical condition.
Prosecutor Jeanne Regagngon contended that Galy "was the only one who obeyed the rules without negligence" on the day of the jump.
She requested a 12-month suspended sentence for the pilot and a fine exceeding $10,000 for his employer in the manslaughter trial, with the verdict scheduled for November.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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