Sydney (AFP) — Heart-stopping footage released Thursday by Australian authorities showed the moment a skydiver was left dangling thousands of metres in the air after their parachute caught on the plane’s tail.

The skydiver survived the incident, which occurred south of Cairns during a stunt in September but has only just been revealed following investigations by the transport safety watchdog.

Plans for a 16-way formation by parachutists at 15,000 feet (4,600 metres), filmed by a parachuting camera operator, hit chaos within seconds of the first participant reaching the plane’s exit.

A video released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau showed the participant’s reserve parachute being activated after its handle snagged the wing flap of the plane.

The jumper was flung backwards — th

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