Skydiver's chilling final post just hours before tragic fatal plane crash

A man killed instantly alongside his fiancee in a skydiving plane crash had left a haunting message just hours before boarding the fatal flight.

Joey King took to Facebook in March 2014 ahead of his first skydive with his fiance Rahi Hohua to reveal his anxiety about the upcoming flight from Caboolture Airfield, north of Brisbane.

“SO I woke up this morning nervous as hell about skydiving today. I’m about to conquer my greatest fear. I love everyone,” he wrote, oblivious they would be his last words to family and friends.

Joey King and his fiance Rahi Hohua. Source: Facebook/ Remembering Joseph King
Joey King and his fiance Rahi Hohua. Source: Facebook/ Remembering Joseph King

Some even joked in the comments section it was “nice meeting him” while others joked about claiming his belongings “just in case” anything was to happen.

Yet humorous comments quickly turned to panicked responses from loved ones as news filtered through of a fatal crash in Queensland.

“Cuz hope it wasn’t you’s on that plane,” one response read.


As more comments emerged begging for answers, there was to be no response from Mr King.

Mr King, alongside Ms Hohua, the plane’s pilot, Andrew Aitkin, and instructors Glenn Norman and Juraj Glesk, died in the crash.

Four years on, Mr King’s family have gathered in Brisbane this week for the inquest into what caused the crash.

Skydiving company warned about faulty seat, inquest hears

On Tuesday, the inquest heard that the skydiving company which operated the Cessna 206 plane was warned about the dangers of a faulty pilot seat.

The aircraft crashed and burst into flames after rolling left about 200 feet in the air.

An inquest has heard unwanted movement by the pilot seat may have been the cause of the crash, which occurred during clear weather.

Friends and family of the victims pictured at the inquest on Monday. Source: AAP
Friends and family of the victims pictured at the inquest on Monday. Source: AAP

Mechanisms to prevent Mr Aitken’s seat suddenly sliding backwards on its rails away from the controls were missing, according to transport safety investigators.

Independent pilot Ronald George Creed, who owned an airstrip the skydiving company rented, said he noticed a week before the fatal accident the plane did not have seat-stop mechanisms.

“I told them about the seat stops,” he said in evidence on Tuesday.

“I’ve always got my stops in because I know how critical it is.”

Investigators at the scene of the crash in March 2014. Source: AAP
Investigators at the scene of the crash in March 2014. Source: AAP

Mr Creed said he would also check for unwanted movement when flying himself by performing a check known as the “Cessna wiggle”.

He said he also noticed the pilot’s seat was off its rails before fixing it, warning it presented a significant safety risk.

But the Adrenalin pilot “didn’t treat it very seriously”, he claimed.

“(I said) this has to be on the rails. It was obvious he didn’t understand,” Mr Creed said.

Mr Creed said he believed Adrenalin ran a safe operation apart from the pilot seat issue.

The inquest continues.

With AAP