Skydivers narrowly missed being hit by U.S. fighter jets
As they fell through the sky going 120 mph, two British parachutists came dangerously close to being hit by U.S. fighter jets this spring, U.K. aviation officials revealed in a recent report.
The incident took place on April 17, over an airfield 90 miles north of London. The U.K.'s national air safety investigative body said Go Pro footage shot by one of the jumpers shows the American F-15s flew right underneath them, likely at a speed of about 345 mph. While the skydivers "could clearly see the F-15s passing through," the report says, the pilots didn't see them. Due to the high speeds of all parties involved, there wouldn't have been much the pilots could have done to avoid a collision.
The U.S. Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing is based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, and the report says they should have known that skydiving takes place in the area. Pilots have since been told to avoid the region.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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