St. Paul family devastated by death of son in Hawaii skydiving plane crash
HONOLULU (FOX 9) - A Minnesota family is devastated after losing their son to a skydiving plane crash in Hawaii over the weekend.
The mother of 28-year-old Nikolas Glebov says her son loved family and adventure.
Friday was supposed to be the last day of vacation for Glebov in Hawaii. He told his family he was hopping on a plane for a skydiving excursion. His mother apparently begged him not to do it, but her only son said, “I am not on a vacation in Hawaii, I’m on an exploration of Hawaii.”
That was the last she heard from him.
Glebov moved to St. Paul with his mother and sister from the Ukraine. He spent four years in the Air Force and recently took up a job in Alaska on a research vessel with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
His sister said he was spending his month break in Hawaii and had plans to eventually become a pilot, which sparked his interest in the skydiving endeavor.
“He was always adventurous and reminded me to be so, and to be curious and appreciate the beauty of life,” said Diana Glebova. “He was most at peace in nature, exploring the unknown, exploring every facet of life.”
The Glebov family has also put together a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs.
The Investigation
Officials with the NTSB are investigating the cause of the plane crash that killed 11 people on board including a Colorado couple celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary.
“There is an inherent risk to parachuting and there are measures you take to mitigate that risk,” said Jennifer Homendy, a NTSB board member.
The NTSB has identified major safety concerns with planes associated with parachuting and skydiving, calling for further regulations.
“Paying passengers should be able to count on an air-worthy plane, an adequately-trained pilot, a safe operator and adequate federal oversight,” said Homendy.
Investigators are apparently focusing on the quality of repairs made to the aircraft in the last few years.
The plane was reportedly involved in a crash three years ago in California.
A preliminary incident report should be released in about two weeks.
This story was reported from Minneapolis.