BllFs6 wrote:

Maybe the question should be....why would you fly any lower and closer to
an apparently pretty active airport than you needed to if you werent
actually intending to land there in the first place?

I didn't note at what altitude the OP stated the jumpers were being kicked
out of a perfectly good airplane. But my experience in this neighborhood
has jumpers falling through the usual local VFR altitudes.

That is, the Piper's altitude isn't especially relevant. Proximity to the
airport, though...but don't we like this sort of thing for the odd case
where the air conditioning up front fails?

- Andrew