A harrowing video has emerged, capturing the wide grin and palpable joy of a skydiver just moments before he and his instructor became fatally entangled with a plane during a jump. The incident, which occurred in 2021 at Goulburn airport in southern New South Wales, resulted in the deaths of experienced instructor Stephen Hoare, 37, and his tandem passenger Alex Welling, 32.
Court Verdict on Safety Failures
In a significant legal development, SafeWork NSW charged the Goulburn Flight Training Centre and its sole director, Attilio Giovanni Ferrara, commonly known as John Ferrara, with two counts each of breaching workplace safety duties. On Tuesday, the NSW District Court found both the flight school and its director guilty of these safety breaches. Judge Andrew Scotting ruled that the prosecutor had established the elements of the offences beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ferrara was not present in court when the decision was handed down. He is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date, pending further legal proceedings.
Details of the Fatal Incident
During a 10-day trial held in September 2025, the court heard that the skydivers' equipment had snagged on a metal step that had been recently installed on the Cessna plane. A short video, taken by a third solo skydiver on June 27, 2021, was presented as evidence. The footage shows Mr Welling grinning and sticking his tongue out at the camera as he and Mr Hoare edge towards the open door of the aircraft, strapped together in preparation for the dive.
Instead of a smooth deployment, the video reveals a black strap becoming caught on the protruding step. This entanglement left the pair frantically dangling upside-down mid-air, leading to a desperate rescue attempt.
Failed Rescue Efforts and Aftermath
The pilot attempted several manoeuvres to free the men, including flying low over the airport while ground staff stood on top of a four-wheel drive vehicle in an effort to grab them. Despite these efforts, the accident proved fatal. The video was released on Tuesday over the objections of the skydivers' families, after Judge Scotting determined that its disclosure could serve to prevent future tragedies by highlighting critical safety lapses.
Mr Welling worked as a tradesman, while instructor Mr Hoare left behind a wife and a baby, underscoring the personal devastation caused by the incident. This case has drawn attention to the importance of stringent safety protocols in adventure sports and aviation, with the verdict reinforcing accountability for workplace safety failures.
