Man dies after falling 1,200 feet from plane

A man has died after falling 1,200 feet from a small plane in Florida.

The incident occurred at 5.30pm local time on Friday evening near Marion County Airport.

See also: 13 skydivers jump from burning plane

See also: Skydiver becomes first man to jump 25,000ft from plane without parachute


It is believed the man was a jumpmaster and part of a group engaging in military-style parachuting.

According to a statement on the Marion County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, onlookers said the man was kneeling at the door when a reserve parachute deployed accidentally pulling him from the plane.

He reportedly hit the side of the plane before plunging to his death.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics upon arrival, and an investigation is being held into the incident.

Back in 2013, a man fell out of a plane off the Florida coast. The pilot reported that the man opened the door of the plane at 1,800ft and fell into the Atlantic.

According to the BBC, an air traffic control broadcast heard the pilot say: "Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! I have a door ajar... and a passenger that fell down."

"You said you've got a passenger that fell out of your plane?" the air traffic controller asked.

"That's correct, sir," the pilot confirmed. "He opened the backdoor and he just fell down the plane."

The man was named Geraldo Nales, and his body was found among mangrove trees after the pilot made an emergency landing at a local airport in Tamiami.

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