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Queensland: In a shocking incident, an Australian skydiver’s parachute caught on the plane’s tail, leaving him dangling from the aircraft above ground until he managed to free himself with a knife.

According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the aircraft took off from Tully, Queensland, on September 20 with one pilot and 17 parachutists, who were to do a 16-way formation jump from 15,000 feet.

However, while the parachutists were climbing out of the plane, one of them was stuck after their reserve parachute snagged on the plane’s tail, inadvertently damaging it.

He remained hanging from the tailplane until after he took out a hook knife to cut into the snagged parachute.

“Carrying a hook knife – although it is not a regulatory requirement – could be lifesaving in the event of a premature reserve parachute deployment,” said the ATSB Chief Commissioner, Angus Mitchell.

According to the report, it took the skydiver just under a minute to cut through the 11 cords and later told ATSB investigators that the task was “harder” than expected.

He released the main parachute after being freed during free-fall to land safely. The parachutist sustained minor injuries during the accident.

The Bureau also reported that due to the accident, the tailplane was damaged, prompting the pilot to declare a MAYDAY to Brisbane Centre Air Traffic Control (ATC), stating they had “minimal control input.”

“The pilot, who was wearing an emergency parachute, prepared to bail out during the descent if they deemed they did not have sufficient control to land the aircraft. But, descending through about 2,500 ft, they assessed they would be able to land,” the Bureau wrote.

The shocking visuals, released by the Bureau on December 11, quickly went viral, displaying the potential dangers in such incidents.