John Hart, the owner of Start Skydiving, said Sarah Rhoads, an office manager for three years, accidentally walked into an operating propeller on a Nouvel Air airplane that was idle on the tarmac. He said Rhoads, as she frequently did, walked out to the airplane to ask the pilot if he wanted any food.
Hart said there is no way to tell, but he suspects Rhoads either didn't know or forgot the plane had two propellers on its wings. He said the airport was leasing the plane because of the high volume of skydivers expected over the weekend. The plane has a limit of 23 skydivers, he said.
Hart said he was skydiving in Jacksonville, Fla., and he landed at Middletown Regional Airport about 10 minutes after the accident. He said the incident was "absolutely horrible" and the "worst nightmare of my life."
He called Rhoads like a daughter, and a sister to the other jumpers.
"It's hard," Hart said Monday afternoon during a press conference at the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into the incident, as is protocol in accidents involving airplanes. The FAA will look at areas under its regulatory responsibility, including rules of flight, certification of the pilot and aircraft and training, according to FAA Spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory.
Hart said Start Skydiving has an "impeccable" safety record and noted the accident wasn't skydiving related. He said there have been skydiving injuries, but this was the first accident involving a propeller.
The company has been in business for nine years and at the Runway Drive location next to the Middletown Regional Airport for five years, he said.
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