Wind gust blows 13 paratroopers into trees during Falcon Leap exercise in Belgium, severely injuring two

Wind gusts disrupt multinational parachute drop

Thirteen military parachutists landed in tree branches on Thursday afternoon during a multinational airborne exercise conducted in the Belgian municipality of Hechtel-Eksel. Two soldiers sustained severe physical injuries during the descent into dense forest canopy and were transported by ambulance to nearby hospitals. The incident occurred during the second consecutive day of parachute drops over Belgian Limburg as part of the Dutch-led Falcon Leap exercise. Military transport aircraft had departed from Eindhoven Airbase in the Netherlands earlier in the day before releasing paratroopers over designated drop zones. A sudden and unexpected wind gust caught descending soldiers mid-air, pushing multiple personnel away from the open landing area and directly into surrounding pine trees.

Emergency response and specialized canopy rescue

The Noord-Limburg emergency rescue zone received the initial distress call at 12:15, prompting regional authorities to activate the Medical Intervention Plan. Local police forces from PZ Noord-Limburg and military personnel immediately mobilized to comb the forested terrain around Sanicole airfield to track down missing jumpers. First responders located five paratroopers suspended in tree branches near the airfield boundary. One servicemember managed to free himself from the canopy before emergency crews arrived on scene, while a specialized height rescue team, known as the RED team, deployed technical climbing equipment to lower the remaining four soldiers safely to the ground. Sanne Drees, representing the Noord-Limburg rescue zone, confirmed on-site medical treatment for the casualties, while Hechtel-Eksel Mayor Johan Dalemans arrived at the military site to oversee municipal emergency operations.

The emergency services are working to locate all persons to free them.

Flight clearance and military police inquiry

Dutch military officials confirmed that weather conditions prior to departure satisfied all formal flight and jump safety requirements. Vincent Vooijs, spokesperson for the Dutch Air Mobile Brigade, explained that pre-flight wind measurements remained fully within operational limits, allowing commanders to give the green light for takeoff from Eindhoven. Major Patrick Van Aalderen of the 11th Air Mobile Brigade, who contributed to coordinating the exercise, stated that tree landings represent an established risk in airborne operations but noted that the exact cause of the accident remains under formal investigation by the military police. Early reports had suggested both severely injured soldiers were Dutch nationals, though military authorities later clarified that national affiliations among the casualties were still being determined.

We knew that it could be windy, but the wind force was within the standards, which gave them green light to take off.

Scope and schedule of the Falcon Leap exercise

Falcon Leap stands as the largest paratrooper exercise organized by the armed forces of the Netherlands, gathering roughly 250 military personnel for tactical air transport drills. Throughout the two-week program, military transport aircraft operate out of Eindhoven Airbase to perform supply cargo drops and paratrooper insertions across drop zones in both the Netherlands and Belgium. The exercise began the previous week and includes military units from twelve nations, with personnel deployed from the Netherlands, the United States, Romania, Germany, Sweden, and Poland. Training operations in Belgian airspace are scheduled to finish on Friday, after which participating units will transition to the Netherlands for a commemorative drop over Ginkelse Heide on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem.