UK Edition
Cambridge student leapt to her death from plane in Madagascar after fighting off friend
A Cambridge University student described as a “bright, independent young woman" forced open the door of a light plane and leapt 5,000ft to her death during a research trip to Madagascar.
The parents of Alana Cutland, 19, had become so concerned about her state of mind they sent a family friend to the island to bring their daughter home.
But it now appears that on the first leg of the flight back to the UK Miss Cutland grew so agitated she fought off the friend before jumping from the Cessna light plane
The friend, 51-year-old Ruth Johnson, is understood to have grappled with the student in a desperate attempt to prevent her falling from the plane last Thursday.
At one stage the Cessna’s pilot is also thought to have grabbed Miss Cutland’s leg in a bid to stop her.
But local police said Miss Cutland, from Milton Keynes, was able to free herself from their “exhausted” grip as the plane flew across the island, off the coast of east Africa.
Photographs of a police reconstruction of the incident show how Ms Johnson and the pilot tried to hold on to Miss Cutland as she tried to climb out of the Cessna’s door.
Spinola Nomenjanahary, the local chief of police, told The Telegraph: “Alana was very quiet during the start of the flight, saying nothing. Then, after ten minutes, she undid her seatbelt, unlocked the right door and tried to get out.
“Ruth Johnson struggled for several minutes to try and stop her. The pilot also tried to pull her back, but they grew exhausted and Alana managed to fight clear of them and fall out of the door.”
Mr Nomenjanahary suggested Miss Cutland, who was completing a privately funded internship studying endangered carbs on the Indian Ocean seabed, may have been having problems completing her research and had been suffering from anxiety.
“It appears she was having difficulty with her work and was suffering from anxiety,” he said. “The witnesses said that Alana had difficulty managing her private life and her research.
“Her SMS, email and telephone contact with her parents indicated she was going through a very difficult psychological period.”
The discovery by police of anti-malaria medicine, including doxycycline and larium, among Miss Cutland's luggage has led to fears she may have suffered an adverse reaction to the pills. Larium has been previously linked with psychotic episodes and a number of cases of attempted suicide.
Miss Cutland, who was in her second year at the University of Cambridge studying natural sciences, had been due to spend six weeks on the trip, but cut it short after eight days after speaking to her parents, Alison, an executive at Cranfield University School of Management, and Neil, an energy consultant.
“Alana's parents agreed that Alana should interrupt her research and fly home with Ms Johnson,” said Mr Nomenjanahary.
Mr and Mrs Cutland are understood to have rented the light plane intended to take their daughter and Ms Johnson from a lodge on the north of the island to Madagascar's Ivato Antananarivo international airport, from where they would have flown to Paris and on to London.
The flight took off just after 9am last Thursday and it is thought Miss Cutland managed to open the door of the aircraft around five minutes later, as the Cessna reached an altitude of 5,000 ft.
Miss Cutland’s body has not yet been recovered, with the authorities struggling to locate her remains due to "dense vegetation".
Mr and Mrs Cutland described their daughter as someone who "grasped every opportunity that was offered to her with enthusiasm and a sense of adventure".
In a statement released through the Foreign Office, they said: "Our daughter Alana was a bright, independent young woman, who was loved and admired by all those that knew her. She was always so kind and supportive to her family and friends, which resulted in her having a very special connection with a wide network of people from all walks of her life, who we know will miss her dearly."
It added: "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.
"Alana was also a talented dancer and embraced the more creative side of her talents with joy and commitment. Her thirst for discovering more of the world always ensured she made the most of every second of her action packed young life. We are heartbroken at the loss of our wonderful, beautiful daughter, who lit up every room she walked in to, and made people smile just by being there."
The second-year student completed a Cambridge Summer Schools in China programme last year.
Dr David Woodman, of Robinson College, Cambridge University, said "In her two years here, she made a huge contribution to many different aspects of life in the college."
Friends have described the young student as having "so much going for her".
“Her thirst for discovering more of the world always ensured she made the most of every second of her action packed life,” said one friend.
Additional reporting by Max Ingleby