France: Pilot Found Guilty of 'Involuntary Manslaughter', Banned From Flying After Skydiver Decapitated With Plane's Wing During Jump Over Bouloc-En-Querc in 2018
The aviation authority of France had restricted Alain's flying privileges due to a medical condition. Emmanuelle Franck, who represented Nicolas Galy's family, described Alain as having "a lot of recklessness or negligence". While Alain has been banned from flying, the Midi-Pyrénées Skydiving School Association, for which Alain worked, was also fined 20,000 euros.
Paris, November 23: A pilot named Alain C has been reportedly banned from flying after his plane decapitated a daredevil skydiver in a wingsuit. The deceased, identified as Nicolas Galy (40), allegedly died when the plane, piloted by Alain C, allegedly descended around 10,000 ft and fatally struck him with one of the wings. Notably, the incident occurred in July 2018 when Nicolas Galy was one among the group of 10 jumpers.
According to a report in Mirror.Co.UK, disaster struck a few seconds after Nicolas Galy tried to jump over Bouloc-en-Quercy in France. Galy's head was sheared when one of the wings struck him. On Tuesday, November 21, pilot Alain C was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by the Montauban criminal court. During the hearing, the court learned that the accused flew the plane with an invalid licence. France: Police Officer in Tours Handed 18 Months Suspension for Downloading Thousands of Child Sex Abuse Photos Since 2016.
The aviation authority of France had restricted Alain's flying privileges due to a medical condition. Emmanuelle Franck, who represented Nicolas Galy's family, described Alain as having "a lot of recklessness or negligence". While Alain has been banned from flying, the Midi-Pyrénées Skydiving School Association, for which Alain worked, was also fined 20,000 euros.
In his defence, the pilot said he had done nothing wrong. He even went on to claim that the victim behaved "recklessly". Alain C also told the court that he could not see the wingsuits as he believed they were clear of his aircraft as he manoeuvred. The deceased was an experienced parachutist with 226 jumps to his name. "This has been the tragedy of my life, but I am not at fault," Alain told the court. France Bomb Threats: Police Arrest 16-Year-Old For Sending Fake Threat Mails, Says Report.
Meanwhile, the prosecutors demanded a 12-month suspended prison term and a 10,000 euro fine for the pilot. An earlier inquiry had blamed the tragic incident on several aspects, including the immediate steep ascent, failure to brief those in wingsuits and inadequate procedures, among others.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2023 02:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).