A harrowing video reveals a skydiver’s broad smile and evident excitement just moments before he and his instructor tragically collided with an aircraft, leading to their fatal fall.
Stephen Hoare, a seasoned instructor aged 37, along with his tandem skydiving partner, 32-year-old Alex Welling, lost their lives while skydiving at Goulburn Airport in southern New South Wales in 2021.
SafeWork NSW brought charges against the Goulburn Flight Training Centre and its sole director, Attilio Giovanni Ferrara, also known as John Ferrara, accusing them each of two counts of violating workplace safety regulations.
On Tuesday, the NSW District Court found both the flight school and its director guilty of these safety violations.
Judge Andrew Scotting concluded that the prosecution successfully proved all elements of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ferrara was absent from the courtroom when the verdict was delivered.
He will face sentencing at a later date.
During the 10-day trial in September 2025, the court was told the skydivers’ equipment had snagged on a metal step that was recently installed on the Cessna plane.
A short GoPro video taken by a third solo skydiver during the June 27 flight showed Mr Welling grinning as he moved towards the open door of the plane while strapped to Mr Hoare.
Mr Welling was filmed sticking his tongue out at the camera as he and Mr Hoare edge out of the open door for a few seconds before they attempt to launch.
Instead of a smooth deployment, the footage shows a black strap getting caught on the protruding step, leaving the pair frantically dangling upside-down mid-air.
The pilot later attempted several manoeuvres to free the men, including flying low over the airport while staff on the ground stood on top of a four-wheel drive to try and grab them.
The footage was released on Tuesday over the objections of the skydivers’ families after Judge Scotting ruled it could serve to prevent future tragedies.
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