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London (CNN) - Two paratroopers were saved in extremis from colliding with two US fighter planes flying at almost 350 mph (563 kilometers per hour) in the United Kingdom, a report revealed.
The paratroopers, who have not been identified, were in free fall at around 120 mph (193 kilometers per hour) when the two F15 planes went under them on April 17.
The incident, or "airprox," as it is officially called, was captured in a GoPro camera connected to the helmet of one of the paratroopers, according to a report by the United Kingdom Airprox Board, which monitors such incidents. The paratrooper assessed the risk of collision as "medium", according to the authors of the report.
The paratroopers had taken off from the Chatteris airfield in Cambridgeshire, while the planes departed from the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Lakenheath, Suffolk, home of the 48th Fighter Wing of the US Air Force. UU. The weather conditions were good and the report indicated that the paratroopers had a visibility of 10 kilometers, while the pilots had a clear view of 50 kilometers.
The designated parachute launch zones must be marked on the aviation charts, which means that it is up to the aircraft operators in the area to know that there may be paratroopers. According to the report, the RAF base received a call from Chatteris every morning to inform them of any activity.
One of the pilots told investigators that he did not know that Chatteris was open to paratroopers at the time and that the Air Traffic Control (ATC) had not mentioned anything. That should not be the case, according to the report, and since then measures have been taken to avoid further incidents.
The report, which was published in recent weeks, says: “When asked if pilots should be aware of Chatteris, the Board was told that this was included in their arrival training at Lakenheath and that, as a result of this incident, the unit was informing all its crews again to make sure everyone was aware. ”
There were several factors, according to the report, that suggest that the communication problem may have occurred in part due to the large workload of Lakenheath air traffic control.
The document adds: “The Lakenheath controller was aware of the Chatteris position, and the Board was told that every morning Chatteris called the ATC to let them know when they were active; the paratrooper plane also calls the frequency when they are in the air with paratroopers. ”
“The controller believed that he would have plenty of time to change the course of the F15 when they entered frequency. However, the frequency was occupied just when they were transferred and, therefore, when the F15 pilots registered with the controller, they were about to fly over Chatteris. ”
Once the paratroopers saw the planes "little could be done to avoid the situation, having no control over their speed or direction while they are in free fall", although some members of the Board questioned if they could have slowed down by opening their parachutes.
While paratroopers have not been identified, the fact that they did not open their parachutes and were not in tandem may indicate that they had considerable experience in extreme sport.
The report described as "unfortunate" that the air traffic controller in Lakenheath "had not realized that the F15s were heading towards Chatteris."
The researchers "could not reliably determine how close the F15s were to the paratroopers from the video, but the F15s were clearly distinguishable," which raises questions about how high the risk of collision was.
Nick Wall, an independent air safety expert, told CNN that category B assigned to the incident is considered "quite serious."
But, he said, the incident occurred due to an "unfortunate" combination of factors, including the speed of fighter jets and the inability of pilots to communicate with air traffic control because the frequency was occupied.
“At the speed they were traveling, the distance passes very fast. Then, when they arrived, they were going through Chatteris, which is why it was an unfortunate set of circumstances. ”
He added: "The United States Air Force has learned the lesson on board and has taken action on it."
Colonel Will Marshall, commander of the 48th Fighter Wing in Lakenheath, said in a statement to CNN: “The UK's airspace is incredibly complex and often congested, and the safety of our crew and those with whom we share the sky is our number one priority. ”
"We will take advantage of this incident to reinforce the vital importance of situational awareness and attention to detail for all our air traffic controllers and air crew."
Skydive Chatteris Club declined to comment on CNN when asked.