Eleven skydivers had to jump out of a burning plane over Colorado Springs

(Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite) staff photo
Andrew Kenney

A plane full of parachutists was 2,600 feet above the Colorado Springs area when something struck its left engine, KDVR reports.

The engine caught fire and the pilot promptly “ordered an emergency evacuation,” which is something you can do when all your passengers are wearing parachutes.

The jumpers, including two newbies who were doing tandem jumps, were out of the plane in a minute; they landed outside their normal zone, so it took a while to find them, according to KDVR.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that 13 people, rather than 11, jumped from the plane. The plane returned safely to Colorado Springs East Airport, the Gazette reported.

A co-owner of Out of the Blue Skydiving told KDVR he suspected a bird strike caused the accident.

Here’s video from a more typical run by the company:

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skydiving, Nob Hill Inn, fire, dispensary, Colorado Springs