Sole survivor of skydivers' crash on the mend

Marek Haczyk, the sole survivor of the 5 July crash, recuperates at a hospital inTarnow. Photo: PAP/ Pawel Topolski

40-year-old skydiving instructor Marek Haczyk spoke with members of the press on Wednesday at the hospital in Tarnow, southern Poland, where he is currently recuperating.

“I feel like I have been given a second chance,” Haczyk told RMF FM.

“I remember practically everything, apart from the collision with the ground,” he noted.

Haczyk says that the pilot had informed passengers that there would be an emergency landing, shortly after take-off.

“People were prepared for an emergency landing - there were no screams, or any kind of noise,” he said.

“It was only a few seconds before the crash that I knew things were very bad.”

The plane came down near the village of Topolow, 3 km from where the aircraft had taken off. Haczyk managed to get to the door of the aircraft, and he was then pulled from the burning wreckage by local villagers.

Haczyk stressed that the pilot had been “very good” and had attempted to avoid a disaster.

“I believe that he did everything he could to try and land the plane safely.”

An investigation is underway, and it is understood that an engine failure caused the accident, but the causes of the failure have yet to be clarified. (nh)