On August 27, 1967, eighteen skydivers jumped from a civilian North American B-25 Mitchell some above Lake Erie, four or five nautical miles (7.5–9.3 km) from Huron, Ohio, after an error by air traffic control led the pilot to believe he was over Ortner Airport, which was in fact twelve to thirteen miles (19–21 km) away. The jump was executed over heavy cloud cover, in violation of Federal Aviation Administration rules, and the skydivers were unaware that they were over water until they punched through the clouds at . Sixteen drowned; two were rescued by a civilian pleasure boat.
The disaster was at the time the deadliest in the history of recreational skydiving and led to congressional scrutiny into regulation of skydiving. A report by the National Transportation Safety Board faulted the pilot, and to a lesser extent the parachutists, for executing a jump through clouds, and faulted the controller for misidentifying the plane's position after confusing it with a Cessna 180 Skywagon there to photograph the jump. The United States was subsequently held liable for the controller's error; the legal case, Freeman v. United States (1975), is notable for its holding that the skydivers did not have contributory negligence because the regulations they violated were not about their own safety.
Lead-up
Around 30 parachutists arrived at Ortner Airport in Wakeman, Ohio, on August 27, 1967, to skydive together from a privately-owned North American B-25 Mitchell bomber (N3443G). They came from across Ohio; the event was not sponsored by a skydiving organization. According to one would-be participant, the plane became overloaded toward the rear when they initially attempted to load it with all comers, and so less experienced divers were asked to make way for the 20 most experienced. Seventeen of the jumpers were United States Parachute Association (USPA) members and had made at least 75 jumps before, including seven who had made at least 200. All signed liability waivers.
Eighteen divers were to jump from , with the other two to jump from . They were to deploy their chutes at . The B-25 was trailed by a Cessna 180 Skywagon (N2934C), to photograph the jump. The jump area was part of a busy corridor for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Incident
Unable to see the ground, the B-25's pilot relied on air traffic control to know his plane's position. During the plane's ascent, one controller took over from the previous one and subsequently mistook the Cessna's position on the radar display for the B-25's. This resulted in the B-25's pilot thinking he was back over Ortner when he was in fact over Lake Erie, four to five nautical miles (7–9 km) from Huron. Shortly after 4 pm, at the planned height of , the 18 skydivers jumped in quick succession from four exits. The surface was not visible through cloud cover; jumping under such conditions was forbidden by USPA and Federal Aviation Administration rules. From the plane's interior, it was difficult for jumpers to see their surroundings prior to jumping. One of the two who did not jump noticed breaks in the clouds but could not tell whether it was land or water below.
The cloud layer spanned roughly 4,000 to 6,000 feet (1,200–1,800 m); it was not until the jumpers fell through its bottom that they realized they were over the lake. According to a survivor, the jumpers deployed their parachutes at around . At least one jumper could not swim. In summaries of the incident by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and a federal court , the only account of the deceased jumpers' reactions comes from the two survivors, who reported seeing several canopies already deployed, running roughly parallel to the shore. One survivor said he was "flabbergasted" to realize he was over the lake. He opened his parachute earlier than normal, hoping to drift closer to the shore. Both survivors shed boots, heavy clothing, and anything that would not float, doffing their chutes and jump suits as they hit the water. One used first his reserve parachute and later his helmet as flotation devices. Other gear was later found floating in the water, which a judge surmised indicated similar efforts by the other jumpers to shed weight.
Glimpsing water through a hole in the clouds, the pilot remarked to his co-pilot that he hoped they had not dropped the jumpers over Lake Erie. The two remaining skydivers later jumped as planned and safely landed at Ortner.
