2 Skydivers Died After Their Parachutes Snagged on Plane, Says Attorney

An Australian court has heard new evidence shedding light on the fatal skydiving accident that claimed the lives of an instructor and his tandem passenger at Goulburn Airport, New South Wales, in June 2021.

Attilio Giovanni Ferrara, director of the Goulburn Flight Training Centre — the company involved in the incident — is now on trial after being charged by SafeWork NSW over the June 2021 deaths of instructor Stephen Hoare, 37, and passenger Alex Welling, 32, according to Australia Associated Press (AAP).

The experienced pair of skydivers became entangled in steps on the edge of the plane before dangling frantically mid-air and, ultimately, falling to their deaths, the court heard, per The Guardian.

During the 10-day trial in the NSW district court in Sydney, Darien Nagle, a lawyer with SafeWork NSW, claimed that there were two key safety issues that were overlooked when Hoare and Welling embarked on their skydiving jump.

Nagle argued on Monday, Sept. 1, per AAP, that a metal step added to the Cessna aircraft, which the skydivers jumped from, created a snagging, tangling hazard and was a risk the company had allegedly mentioned in their own documents. 

He also argued that Ferrara’s skydiving company had no “buddy check” system to identify if there was any webbing that could have gotten caught or entangled [in the steps] before the jump, a key safety step carried out by other skydiving companies.

“It was always known and obvious that these types of steps, along with webbing that hadn’t been buddy-checked, could lead to catastrophic results,” Nagle told the court in his opening address, per AAP. 

“It was only a matter of time [before] an incident such as this should occur,” he added, noting that the steps were removed from some Cessna planes following the incident.

GoPro footage taken by skydiver Nick Amoroso, who had been with Hoare and Welling at the time of the accident, was also played for the court. The footage allegedly showed a black strap getting caught on the exterior of the plane as the men attempted to launch from the aircraft, leaving them suspended upside down in the air, per AAP.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I noticed Alby and Steve were stuck to the aircraft, hanging upside-down,” an emotional Amoroso recalled. “The plane was trying to get low enough, and there was a dude on the four-wheel drive trying to get hold of Steve and Alby, and that was unsuccessful a couple of times.”

As reported by The Guardian, the men’s families left the courtroom as footage, which included one of them swearing as they realized they were tangled, was played.

Ferrara and his company have been charged with two counts of breaching workplace safety duties by SafeWork NSW. His lawyer Maurice Baroni reportedly indicated in court, per AAP, that certain evidence brought forward would be disputed during the trial.

PEOPLE has reached out to SafeWork NSW and Ferrara’s lawyer for comment on the trial, but did not immediately hear back.