British college student Alana Cutland, 19, reportedly fell from a Cessna-style aircraft as it flew above the savannah after she conducted research in Anjajavy on July 25.
A Cambridge University student died after falling from a plane flying over Madagascar last Thursday.
Alana Cutland, 19, from Milton Keynes, England, was completing an internship on the island nation east of Africa when the incident happened, The Guardian reported.
She reportedly fell from a Cessna-style aircraft as it flew above the savannah after conducting research in Anjajavy area on July 25.
The Cambridge University biology major reportedly broke open the door of the plane mid-flight and leapt to her death while on a trip to Madagascar.
Cutland fell over 3,500 feet from the Cessna light aircraft during a flight back from a remote lodge where she was studying a rare species of crabs.
Alana Cutland Cambridge University student Alana jumped out of a plane and died while on a trip to Madagascar, on Thursday police in the African country said
Investigators said the Cutland suffered five “paranoia attacks” while on the “failed” research trip which she funded herself. Alana is understood to have fought off fellow passenger, British tourist Ruth Johnson, who had battled to try and keep her in the aircraft for several minutes. The tiny propeller plane was rocking through the air as Johnson, the only other passenger, and the pilot grappled onto Alana’s leg in a bid to stop her death plunge. But local cops said 19-year-old managed to free herself from their “exhausted” grip high above the paradise Indian Ocean island falling into the wild savannah below. Cops and locals have been trying to find her body in the remote Analalava region, but fear they will never find her due the remote location. Investigators had recreated the horrifying flight after taking statements from Ms Johnson and the pilot, local police chief Sinola Nomenjahary said.
Authorities in Madagascar recreate the Cutland’s final moments while investigating her death. The college student, who reportedly suffered from panic attacks, shrugged attempts by her fellow passenger to restrain her, before jumping out of the aircraft
Cutland was traveling on a light Cessna aircraft when she allegedly fought off her traveling companions and jumped to her death 3,500 ft below
in a recreation – how the passenger desperately clung to Alana’s leg before she let go through exhaustion around 15 minutes after take-off on July 25.
Nomenjahary said: “The Cessna C168 aircraft was taking off from Anjajavy with three people aboard, including Ms Johnson, Alana and the pilot.
“After 10 minutes of flight, Alana undid her seatbelt and unlocked the right door of the plane and tried to get out.
“Ms Johnson fought for five minutes trying to hold her, but when she was exhausted and out of breath she let go.
“Alana then intentionally fell from an aircraft at 3,500 ft meters above sea level.
Her body may never be found because “She dropped into a zone which is full of with carnivorous Fossa felines,” local authorities explained.
Alana had been due to stay on the research trip for six weeks, but cut it short after eight days after speaking to her parents Alison and Neil Cutland, both 63.
Cutland’s remains may never be found because “She dropped into a zone which is full of with carnivorous Fossa felines,” local authorities said
Cutland’s family said in a statement that she had a “thirst for discovering more of the world” and described her as a “bright, independent young woman.”
“Alana grasped every opportunity that was offered to her with enthusiasm and a sense of adventure, always seeking to extend her knowledge and experience in the best way possible,” her family said in a statement. “She was particularly excited to be embarking on the next stage of her education, on an internship in Madagascar complementing her studies in natural sciences.”
Cutland was a second-year biological natural sciences student at Robinson College-University of Cambridge.
Dr. David Woodman, a department director at Robinson College, said the school was “deeply shocked” by the news of her death.
“In her two years here, she made a huge contribution to many different aspects of life in the college,” Woodman wrote. “She will be sorely missed by us all.”
Cutland was involved in the yoga and mindfulness society at the college, according to its website, and she was also the vice-president of the dance society Cutazz.
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