A plane pilot is facing French justice after beheading an experienced parachutist with the wing of his plane while he was making a jump in a wingsuit.
Nicolas Galy, a 40-year-old engineer, was one of two skydivers who plunged into the void at more than 4,000 meters above Bouloc-en-Quercy, a town in southern France, in July 2018.
Just a few seconds later, the aircraft, led by Alain C., 64, began a rapid descent and caught up with the two skydivers while they had extended their wingsuits.
According to the court, Nicolas Galy was hit by the plane’s left wing and immediately decapitated.
The victim’s rescue parachute then detached and carried his lifeless body to a field.
The lawyer representing the victim’s relatives confirmed that the suspect showed “a lot of recklessness and negligence” during the tragedy. The pilot accused of manslaughter defended himself by saying he had done nothing wrong and that Galy “did not respect his route and that he should not have been there.” »
According to Alain C., the victim, who completed 226 jumps, was next to the aircraft when it should have been further south.
“My route made sense,” he pleaded. It was the tragedy of my life, but it’s not my fault. »
The man, who worked for a skydiving school, admitted in court that he had not discussed the jump with the skydivers before the fateful moment.
Then he lost sight of her mid-flight. He then began the descent, even though “they were still high in the air and might be close to the plane.”
The lawsuit also found that the pilot’s license was revoked after he violated certain restrictions related to a medical condition.
The man faces a suspended sentence of 12 months. His employer could be fined $10,000.
The verdict will be announced in November.
According to the New York Post