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Photos capture crash as plane collides with skydiver’s parachute

Posted at 5:46 PM, Mar 09, 2014
and last updated 2014-03-10 08:53:56-04

By Susanna Capelouto and Janet DiGiacomo

(CNN) -- A Cessna collided with a parachute at a small airport in Polk County, Florida, on Saturday.

The plane took a nose-dive and the skydiver was thrown to the ground.

Neither the pilot nor the skydiver were seriously injured when they fell about 75 feet, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Sharon Trembley, 87, was doing what are called "touch and goes" with the Cessna, a maneuver in which the plane touches the ground and ascends again. The Polk County Sheriff's Department initially identified the pilot as Shannon Trembley.

On his third time up, one wing became tangled in the strings of the parachute that held 49-year-old John Frost, officials said.

Both men were taken to a hospital. Frost was treated and released and Trembley was being held for observation on Saturday night.

Officials said the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were notified and responded to the scene.

The-CNN-Wire
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