"We're looking at it as a blessing in disguise," another brother, Gregory, said after a Skydive Hawaii Cessna 182 that Chris was scheduled to fly crashed Tuesday off Mokuleia Beach Park.
"There could have been two tragedies," he added. "We believe Shannon meant it for Chris not to be there."
Chris Smith, a veteran pilot and jump master for Skydive Hawaii, didn't fly Tuesday because he was with family on Kauai mourning the death of his brother.
Friday will be Chris' last day with Skydive Hawaii. He'll be leaving Sunday for a new job in Denver as a corporate pilot and will miss his brother's funeral.
Shannon Smith, a University of Hawaii football player, drowned at Kauai's Slippery Slide after saving the life of head coach Fred vonAppen's son, Cody.
"I don't think I could have handled two tragedies in one week," said Chris, a former "Flying Elvi" who taught Shannon how to skydive last summer. "I was relieved once I realized everyone was safe.
"I thanked Shannon in my own little way for allowing me not to be there, but at the same time, my heart went out to my co-workers on the plane, and I'm very glad no one was hurt," he added.
All five people aboard the plane -- two visitors from Japan, jump masters Mark Hewitt and Charlie Hall and pilot John Tucker -- escaped serious injury.
Chris Smith said he flew the plane Saturday, taking up jumpers 20 times on the day his brother died. "I didn't experience any problems that day," he said.
The plane is submerged in 10 to 15 feet of water, several hundred feet offshore from the beach park. Attempts to salvage the plane have been thwarted by storm surf in the 10-foot range.
"We would like to recover it; first, because we want to look at it, and secondly, because of the safety factor," Federal Aviation Administration investigator Mike Robertson said. "If we don't get it out, there are going to be pieces with jagged edges all over the place."
Skydive Hawaii General Manager Torsten Werner said portions of the plane's wings were found along the shoreline yesterday.
"Right now, it's trash," Werner said of the plane, which he says is worth $40,000. "If we lose an airplane or parachutes, it's OK as long as no one was seriously hurt."
Werner confirmed that Tucker, who is also a jump master, is appealing a notice of violation filed by the FAA last year for allegedly allowing a skydiver to jump through clouds, which is against rules.
Tucker was making his fourth trip of the day in the single-engine Cessna when it crashed.
"The problem occurred with the takeoff," Werner said. "After it hit the trees, there might have been damage."
Chris Smith noted that after takeoff from Dillingham Air Field, pilots normally execute an early left turn in the direction of the tall 50-foot pine trees that line the Waialua side of the beach park.
"The trees can cause tremendous turbulence at 200 feet, and the winds there are very unpredictable," Smith said.
On Tuesday, the Cessna did not have enough altitude and clipped several of the trees. Robertson indicated that weather conditions did not appear to be a factor in causing the crash.
FAA investigators were scheduled to talk with Tucker yesterday.
What: Interview ith UH Head Football Coach Fred vonAppen about Shannon Smith