Mike Robinson, a skydiving instructor, was at 3,600 metres, just seconds away from his fourth and final jump of the day, when a second plane carrying a group of skydivers struck the aircraft he was in, sending them all tumbling towards the ground.
None of the nine skydivers or two pilots sustained serious injury when the two planes collided in mid-air on Saturday evening in far north-west Wisconsin near Lake Superior.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials were in the area on Sunday to talk to those involved, and the cause of the incident was still being investigated, said FAA spokesman Roland Herwig.
Mr Robinson, an instructor and safety adviser for Skydive Superior, said his group of skydivers had gone up for their last jump of the day – called the “sunset load” – and the two planes were flying in formation. It was supposed to be a routine jump, and a fun one for Mr Robinson, who usually dives as a trainer.
All of the skydivers were instructors or coaches and had hundreds, if not thousands, of jumps under their belts. It was Mr Robinson’s 937th jump.
“We do this all the time,” he said. “We just don’t know what happened for sure that caused this.”
He and three other skydivers were in the lead plane, and all four had climbed out on to the step at the side of the Cessna 182 and were poised to jump. The plane behind theirs had five skydivers on board, three in position to jump and two more inside the plane, at the ready.
“We were just a few seconds away from having a normal skydive when the trail plane came over the top of the lead aircraft and came down on top of it,” he said. “It turned into a big flash fireball, and the wing separated.”
“All of us knew we had a crash ... the wing over our head was gone, so we just left,” he added.
The three skydivers who were on the step of the second plane got knocked off on impact, Mr Robinson said, and the two inside were able to jump. The pilot of Mr Robinson’s plane ejected himself, and the pilot of the second plane, although damaged, landed the aircraft safely at the airport it took off from.
Mr Robinson, 64, who lives north of Duluth, Minnesota, watched as the plane he had been in spiralled downward and broke into pieces.
“Looking around, we’re seeing the wing that came off. We’re seeing it’s on fire, and there are just parts of the airplane floating in the air with us,” he said.
“We were falling faster than those parts. So the concern was we get away from the crash area.”
* Associated Press
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
