17 Matches (out of a total of 833 incidents)
  1. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    20/01/1996 Sunstate Freefall, FL EXC,CCOL 43 4300 ?/?    
    Description: Two jumpers were under canopy. One was jumping a banner. The other was filming. The cameraman in maneuvering contacted the banner, and a "wrap" followed. They were heard to be discussing the situation. At an alt. of aprox 600 feet the cameraman told the other jumper to "cutaway". The jumper deployed his reserve and when it reached line-stretch proceeded to cutaway. He got an open reserve at aprox 10 to 20 feet. The cameraman was still with the "mess" which reportedly equaled less than half a canopy and was spinning. The cameraman cutaway at aprox. 100-150 feet and impacted the ground shortly afterward.
    Lessons:Filming someone who is making an exceptional skydive makes things more complicated for the cameraman. It's important to remain altitude aware even after a canopy collision. Cutting away below 500ft or so is rarely a good idea. An AAD would not have changed the outcome. Skydiving reports that no banner was involved in this jump, and that the alititude of the cutaway is unknown.
  2. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    13/04/1997 Superior, WI MAL 45 26 ?/N    
    Description: On the deceased first jump of the year with new gear, either the pilot chute or lines from his main parachute wrapped around his arm during deployment. The reserve was deployed at treetop level, too low for inflation. It is not known if he switched from/to ROL/BOC/Ripcord on this jump, or if he had been jumping similar gear previously. The following was written by a jumper who was on the load - I have made only minor edits. The facts are he Bob had 26 jumps and indicated before the dive that he had just jumped in Chicago. The dive was not a relative work three way as had been reported. We were testing a new camera on the dz so the cameraman left first and t hen the three of us free flew the exit and laid in a line to geek for the camera. At 4000, the deceased waved the dive off as planned. It was also planned that the deceased would dump in place after the wave off and as I turned to track I saw him reach and pull his pilot chute out of its pouch. Prior to boarding, the exit was practiced and the dive was discussed and agreed upon.
    Lessons:New gear, uncurrent, inexperienced. Multiplicative risk factors again... I wonder if he had made a jump in the last 30 days? He should have been doing a clear and pull, a static line, or perhaps an AFF Level IV -- not a 3 way with video. Currency rules exist for a reason…
  3. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    30/05/1997 Cross Keys, NJ CRW 32 2000 ?/?    
    Description: While videoing a 2-way CRW jump, a wrap occured at about 4000' between the camera flyer and another dive participant. The deceased cutaway, but the slider stowed behind his head became caught on part of his camera helmet and thus his main failed to seperate. The reserve became entangled with the main and he hit the ground hard. He was alert and concious that evening, but died of internal injuries the next morning while in surgery. The deceased was taking part in as well as or videoing the CRW dive. He was likely jumping a Jedei, which is not a canopy designed for CRW. He indicated he had to deploy the reserve because lines were around his neck and he was starting to pass out.
    Lessons:While it may appear the deceased did "everything right", a slider stowed behind the head both obscures vision and can hamper a clean cutaway in the event of a canopy collision (CRW related or not.) If a camera helmet has exposed surfaces on which a line, riser, bridle or other canopy component could become snagged, it is helpful if the helmet may be cutaway. Flying a camera, particularly in CRW formations, always presents some additional hazards.
  4. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    12/06/1997 Skydive Chicago, IL LOWT 44 3000 ?/?    
    Description: Witnesses said the deceased appeared to be groping for his right toggle shortly after making a 90 degree turn to final. Review of video footage from his camera shows him searching for the toggle, and slow motion review shows his hand without a toggle in it just prior to landing. After he struck the ground, he was awake and apologizing, saying he lost a toggle. It was obvious to those on the scene that he was injured badly. He passed away a few hours later in the hospital from internal injuries. This jumper was well known for bringing his dog, Pud, along on over 60 skydives. Pud was not on this load, and is being taken care of by friends and will be going home to Texas with family.
    Lessons:If you *do* lose a toggle, grabbing rear risers is perhaps a better choice of action than searching for a toggle, but either way, prepare for a pretty bad landing if you've turned to build up speed!
  5. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    10/05/1998 Las Vegas, NV CCOL 34 3600 ?/?    
    Description: This was the first load of the day. The deceased was filming an 8 way, birthday load. According to reports, there was not much separation at break off. After breakoff at 4000ft, he did not deploy in place, as had been the plan. But instead, several witnesses said that they saw him start tracking in the same direction as the other fun jumpers. He was seen waving off and pulling directly above another fun jumper. Several witnesses from the ground, and from the air, saw his canopy open in a severe spin. It appeared that he was trying to unstow his steering handles as he corkscrewed 2 complete turns, and slammed directly into the chest and legs of another jumper. Both men had open main canopies. Neither of the canopies collapsed or tangled after the impact. (The other jumper was knocked unconscious for a brief period, he regained consciousness and landed.) He was taken to the hospital and his injuries are unknown. He was reported as saying that he saw he on opening and then collided. Another jumper on the load is said to have witnessed the entire collision. The witness followed him down. Following the collision he was seen in a hard spiral all the way to impact. His camera helmet came off on impact. It is not known whether he died in the collision or on landing.
    Lessons:Not enough information to make any real assessment, but camera flyers should be openning as soon as the group breaks off, thus reducing the liklihood of this scenario. Tracking with the group, particularly if unplanned, can increase the risk of the skydive.
  6. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    10/01/1999 Zephyrhills, FL MAL 53 1200 Y/N    
    Description: The deceased left a Twin Otter at 13500’ filming a 4 Way team and practicing his video skills. The team conducted a normal 4 Way jump, he took the center of the sky for opening, but opened somewhat lower than perhaps he normally would, still easily above 2500’ or more. We extracted a great deal of information from his video camera, which was recording the whole time. His Triathlon 160 canopy opened normally other than an off-heading opening and he was seen in his own video, lifting his right arm for the toggles, but his movement was restricted by the swoop cords he was wearing. He was also wearing gloves on top of the swoop cords, since it was a very cold day and it was his first jump of this type with gloves on.

    He managed to reach the left toggle, probably by lifting his leg as he shifted in the harness to get comfortable, as big guys sometimes do. Once he released the left brake, the canopy began an immediate turn to the right, which accelerated rapidly over the course of the first couple turns. His video then shows him taking off his right hand glove to help reach the right toggle. The glove was seen in the video after he removed it. Then he tried to stop the turn by pulling his left riser, but only slightly, having no effect on the spiral. It is expected that he could not reach the left toggle again, due to a swoop cord under his glove on the left hand (and a wrist mounted altimeter on top of the glove). He then moves to the right hand again to remove the swoop cord, which he did, but he still did not reach the right toggle, either due to the force of the spin, other restriction on his arm. Also, the right glove, removed earlier, had inadvertently been let go and got its Velcro stuck to the toggle Velcro on the right toggle, which may have impeded his ability to get the right toggle. This may have been another ‘curve ball’ thrown at him when he was already getting critically low. Again he tries to stop the turn by pulling the left riser, with no effect. He actually made four attempts to do this, each time having little or no stopping power of the turn. There are a few seconds where not much seems to be happening on the video. We expect he is either confused, perhaps disoriented from the spins, perhaps looking for his cutaway/reserve handles, or perhaps just plain overloaded due to the size of the trees and ground below him.

    He pulled his cutaway handle at tree top height, almost instantly struck some power lines and then fell to the ground, dying instantly. His freefall after the cutaway was less than 1 second. His reserve handle was never pulled and the Cypres never fired since the rate of descent under the canopy was not sufficient to do so. He did not have an RSL, but that would not have made a difference at the altitude at which he cutaway. He did 11 spirals under the parachute with one brake stowed and his canopy ride was about 43 seconds long in total, most of that spinning.
    Lessons:1. He put new gloves over top of his swoop cords, effectively tying down his hands. Not a big problem, had he simply removed all that before releasing any brakes. Jack was new to video jumps, and perhaps just did not think of that. 2. He did not have a ‘malfunction’ in the true sense of the word, so his judgement of whether or not to cutaway may have been impaired. He may have thought this was a very simple problem, and perhaps he could fix it. 3. He also may not have thought about the velocity of his spin or the rate of descent, given that he jumped a Triathlon, considered to be relatively docile by today’s standards. 4. A Cypres is not a substitute for an RSL. Had he cutaway with at 300’ with an RSL, he would probably be alive today. His rig was bought used several years ago, and did not come with one. I do not think that he ‘deliberately’ jumped without one, just that he never got around to getting it done. 5. Give all of your problems 2 tries to fix them, and then get out of there. Earlier reaction and detection of a problem would surely have had a different outcome. 6. Any size of a parachute is capable of spinning fast enough to be out of control. His Triathlon was probably losing 200+ feet each revolution. Don’ t assume that any canopy is docile; the deceased was clearly horizontal to the ground for most of the descent
  7. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    20/06/1999 Kingman, KS BIZ 20 200 ?/?    
    Description: On what may have been the sunset load at Skydive Wichita a young jumper with about 200 jumps to his credit and a very experienced skydiver with perhaps two or three thousand jumps were practicing their head-down skills. The young jumper, a few days short of his 21st birthday and current overall, had started getting serious about freeflying in the months before the accident. The experienced jumper, although also current and holding a tandem and AFF rating, was not as experienced at freeflying. The two-way exited the C-182 at 10,000 feet and were flying face-to-face, more or less, and were exchanging handgrips, alternating right-to-right and then left-to-left. At about 6,000 feet the more experienced jumper accidentally snagged the younger jumpers "D" ring and his reserve fired while he was head-down. The younger jumper was also wearing a Sony digital camera on a Bonehead. Anyway, although in extreme pain, the younger jumper landed his reserve canopy and was taken to the local hospital. He and his father and sister (who also are avid skydivers) then went to a major hospital in Wichita. As it turned out, shortening the story considerably, the young jumper had not only fractured some vertebrae in the cervical spine but also ruptured the cerebral artery in the brain stem area. He was declared dead on June 22, 1999
    Lessons:This could be an argument for a "pillow" reserve handle, but there are complications with this approach as well, namely a hard pull. A CYPRES mitigates this risk somewhat -- how likely is it that you'll have a malfunction, be unable to pull your reserve, and your CYPRES fails to fire. Again, this is a somewhat heretical approach, but a complicated risk tradeoff is involved here. Smaller reserve D-rings are also an option.
  8. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    18/07/1999 Pahokee, FL FFCOL 26 1500 N/N    
    Description: The deceased joined a 4-way freefly group, and exited the plane as planned. The cameraman didn't see him right after exit, and though there might have been a collision; he filmed the deceased, motioned for him to come join the group, and then returned to filming. The deceased was clearly in control and flying well at this poiint. Later in the jump, one of the group of 3 "corked" (lost stability and rapidly decellerated from freefly fallrates, i.e. from ~180 to ~120mph). This jumper was seen moving upwards and out of the video. Neither the deceased or the person who corked was seen in the video again.

    The other skydiver involved in the collsion remebers neither the collision, his canopy ride, his landing or walking to the hangar. The DZ chief instructor saw both skydivers in freefall at 2300' according to his ProTrack audible.

    The deceased went in with nothing pulled.

    While both jumpers owned rigs with CYPRES's, both were jumping borrowed or backup gear which was not so-equipped. This could easily have been a double fatality.
    Lessons:Freefly is more dangerous as the groups get larger. There is some argument to be made that one should not be freeflying in groups larger than 2-3 until corking is a very, very rare occurance. Additionally, when in larger groups, it's important to stick to "moves" with which you are very, very competent to avoid corking out of the formation in a situation when you cannot keep track of all other jumpers.

    If you find yourself above a freefly formation, it behooves you to (besides not getting there in the first place) move to the side and descend down to the group's level. If you cannot do this, then you should get-well clear of the skydive, and take responsibility for ensuring none of the group tracks underneath you at breakoff. Had the deceased taken these steps, the collision might not have occured.

    Additionally, the potential benefits of a hard helmet and an AAD are obvious in this incident.
  9. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    05/09/1999 Gardiner, NY LOWT 29 500 Y/N    
    Description: This jumper, visiting (recently moved?) from Russia had started jumping at this DZ a few weeks prior, using a Velocity 90 (new), an old rig and an old jumpsuit. He had the choice of landing downwind on the DZ or upwind off the DZ and, unfortunately, chose the latter, making a hard turn at tree-top level. He impacted horizontally to the ground, killing him instantly. The canopy was loaded at about 2.0 lb/ft^2. He had about 30 jumps on this canopy, was very current (350-400 jumps in the last year), had mostly jumped a Springo140 or Stiletto135 (at 1.3), and had made a few jumps on a Velocity 111. He is reported to not regularly have made intentional low turns, and to have usually jumped as a cameraman.
    Lessons:A Velocity 90 is simply not a canopy for the inexperienced, unless you perhaps weigh 100 lbs, and maybe not even then. (I don't know how they perform at lower wing loadings). With every 4-5 passing years, we are seeing a jump in canopy performance (7-cells F-111 (early 80's?), 9-cell F-111 (late 80's), zero p (early 90's), 9-cell elliptical (mid 90's), 9-cell cross-braced zero-p (late 90's)) and we see a corresponding spike in accidents. (Interestingly, it would appear that these jumps in performance are occurring at increasing rates, particularly if you include in the timeline the introduction of military rounds, PC's, hybrids (terplane, pterodactyl), primitive squares, etc. Also, what is considered "acceptable" for a new jumper has moved up this performance ladder... typically what is 2 "generations" back is considered appropriate "student" gear.). It is unclear if or how this should be policed or managed from a licensing/instructional standpoint, but it is clear that if you're thinking of going to a small, hot canopy early in your jumping career, you are taking a significant risk. Additionally, while the deceased did step up canopy sizes, he did so rather rapidly, without taking time to gain experience at each level. In particular, the failure to regularly make low turns probably did not prepare him with an understanding of how rapidly altitude can be lost in a turn.
  10. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    24/03/2001 Louisburg, NC MAL 34 323 ?/?    
    Description: A four way and a videographer exited a twin otter from 13000'. The videographer filmed the 4-way, which went normally until breakoff. The videographer was supposed to pull from the center at 4000. Members of the 4-way observed him at 2500' with a bag locked main. On the ground, the main suspension lines were found entangled with the eyepiece on the helmet. The reserve pilot chute was entangled with the main, and (apparently?) both stows on the reserve were out. The reserve ripcord had been pulled, and was not found, indicating perhaps a high deployment of the reserve. The cutaway release was found near the hand of the deceased. He had made 55 jumps in the last month, most camera jumps, and was quite current.
    Lessons:A horseshow malfunction is the most difficult one to handle. Ideally, this jumper would have managed to release his helmet before cutting away or deploying the reserve. However, many helmets are quite difficult to release quickly, and when in the high-stress situation of a malfunction. It is unfortunate that the reserve did not escape the freebag, as the report seems into indicate the reserve lines were not involved in the entanglement.
    USPA Description: This jumper was videoing a 4-way formation skydive. The plan was for him to deploy at 4,000 feet. Members of the 4-way team observed him at 2,500 feet with a bag-lock malfunction.
    The deceased was found with main suspension lines wrapped around the eye piece of his camera helmet. The reserve had been delpoyed, and the reserve pilot chute was entangled with the main. The reserve ripcord could not be located, but the cutaway handle was near his hand.
    USPA Conclusions:The reason for the camera helmet-main canopy entanglement is not known. The evidence indicates that the main was deployed first. The jumper apparently deployed the reserve before the main was released. The main evidently was cut away very late.
    The correct actions would have been to attempt to clear the camera-canopy entanglement first, altitude permitting, then attempt to cut away the malfunctioned main before deploying the reserve. However, entanglements of this nature present a fast-paced, challenging situation. A jumper must keep altitude in mind to complete the recommended emergency procedures if the initial problem can't be rectified.
    Camera jumps involve many serious challenges that need to be considered by any jumper contemplating jumping with cameras or any special equipment.
  11. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    31/03/2001 Lodi, CA MAL 49 3000 Y/N    
    Description: After videoing a two-way, this jumper experienced a main malfunction (a spinning something-or-other). When she cutaway, her reserve bridle caught on her front-mounted still camera. She had pulled all the handles, and had managed to reserve the helmet before impact. The ring sight tangled with some of the lines, and the locking stows of the freebag did not release.
    Lessons:Adding anything which can catch lines or fabrics can make this type of problem possible. This incident also shows that cutting away the helmet doesn't always solve the problem. If you wear a helmet with a camera, you are accepting the possibility that this can happen to you -- unless your camera mount is snag-free.
    USPA Description: This experienced videographer was filming a tandem skydive. The tandem instructor deployed the tandem parachute and then observed the videographer falling away unstable. The videographer then deployed her main canopy while still unstable, which resulted in a main canopy malfunction. The main was released, and the reserve was deployed as she continued to fall unstable. The reserve canopy never came out of the freebag, and she continued to tumble all the way to impact. Post-accident inspection reveleaed that the reserve bridle had entangled with her camera helmet and subsequently choked off the reserve lines, preventing the reserve from clearing the freebag.
    USPA Conclusions:This jumper had experienced previous stability problems, in particular, instability following a cutaway while wearing a camera. Stability becomes more important to proper parachute delpoyment when the jumper is wearing cameras or other special equipment that could lead to an entanglement.
  12. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    16/05/2001 Sebastian, FL MAL 33 14 Y/Y    
    Description: This event occurred during an AFF Level VII skydive, accompanied by his JM and a cameraman (who was also an AFF JM). He began his briefed objectives and performed them, but lost altitude awareness and was still attempting maneuvers below the 6,000' stop-movement altitude. He realized his mistake, but lost stability and did not deploy either parachute. Both JM's tried to reach him, but could not get close enough. His CYPRES fired, but due to his extreme instability (flipping end over end), a horseshoe malfunction resulted. He landed in a river, and died from the impact with the water.
    Lessons:Even a CYPRES cannot keep you 100% safe, and reaching a significantly unstable skydiver is a big challenge. Your odds of survival on any skydive are greatly increased by a stable pull at the correct altitude.
    USPA Description: This jumper was making an AFF graduation jump from 13,500 feet. After a tumbling exit, he regained stability and intentionally initiated a backloop as part of the dive plan. He then lost and regained stability again.
    The report says that a 4,500 feet, he distinctly looked at his altimeter and then attempted to initiate tracking, which resulted in more tumbling. He continued to tumble until the AAD activated the reserve parachute. The jumper became entangled with the reserve lines and bridle. The reserve canopy released from the free bag just before the jumper fell into a small pond.
    USPA Conclusions:The jumper apparently had stability problems throughout the entire skydive. His performance on previous training jumps was not reported. His reaction at 4,500 feet, when he checked his altitude, should have been to deploy the main parachute.
    One of the advantages offered by USPA's Integrated Student Program is fewer tasks for students to focus on during the freefall portion of each skydive. Tracking skills are introduced only after the student has solidly demostrated and practiced stability recovery.
  13. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    27/05/2001 San Marcos, TX BIZ,AIR 36 850 Y/Y    
    Description: This jumper was participating in a 30-way skydive, exiting from a King Air, which was to be flying trail behind an Otter. She was somewhere in the middle of the exit lineup in the king air. At exit time, however, the king air ended up in front and above the otter. This jumper, shortly after exiting the King Air, struck the propeller of the Otter. One camera man observed this jumper spinning out of control, and went twice for the reserve handle, succeeding on the 2nd attempt. The reserve, however, did not deploy correctly, as it had been badly damaged during the collision. The cameraman landed covered in blood etc. She landed off the DZ in a yard, and her significant other landed nearby. She was pronounced DOA by the corner, having been seriously injured from the chest up by the prop-strike. There is an NTSB report of this incident
    Lessons:This is a unique event. King Air's can fly at a higher airspeed than Twin Otters, and it is possible and error was made by either or both pilots when setting up the exit. However, the jumpers in the door of the King Air should have had visual contact with the Otter. Very likely, they exited the plane despite having the wrong configuration without considering the possibility of collision. Given that this has never happened before, it's not unreasonable to fail to consider this possibility when outside the door of the plane, ready to go. Certainly, this incident will be discussed widely, and hopefully jumpers will be encouraged to abort a skydive when presented with unfavorable positioning of the aircraft.
    USPA Description: This jumper was engaged in a 30-way formation attempt exiting from a Twin Otter and a King Air in formation. She exited the King Air eighth out of nine in the plane. The other jumpers in the King Air norrowly missed the Twin Otter; however, this jumper struck the windshield and right propeller.
    USPA Conclusions:According to the report, the King Air was the intended trail plane. The planned configuration during exit was for the Twin Otter to be ahead, above and to the left of the King Air. However, during the last part of the jump run and climbout, the King Air overtook the Twin Otter, ascended and wound up in front. The new positions put the exiting jumpers into its path.
    After the collision, this jumper fell away apparently disabled. Another jumper caught her and deployed her reserve, but it malfunctioned due to the damage from contact with th Twin Otter's propeller.
    Formation loads need to have effective plans for aircraft positioning to avoid this very position.
  14. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    02/09/2001 Skydive Green County, OH MED 69 1300 ?/?    
    Description: I was the one who had organized the raft dive that the jumper was on. I placed him in the middle of the raft between two pretty ladies since he said he had never done that before. This was also to be his first raft dive. The exit of the raft went great but we lost 3 people from the outside of the raft. At this point the last 2 of us holding on slid to the middle of the raft and held it stable. The raft was rock solid in the air and I got the chance to smile at each jumper in the raft, the guy on the other side and the video guy. The jumper was waving and geeking the camera until 6500 feet when I broke off the raft and proceded to track away. I opened high at 4500 feet. I turned around in time to see the raft tumble free and the jumpers track away. I watched him pitch and have a beautiful opening. At that point he was in a big lazy circle. I headed back to the DZ and spiriled down. A group of us watched a few jumpers land off and went to go get them. He was one of the jumpers. Seth and I met Matt at the road and proceded to go find him. CPR was started by me and Matt assiasted, an EMT arrived and took over for Matt. A Doctor was next on the sceen and really helped organize every thing. Seth (Wildblue) did a great job of getting the right people to him as fast as possible. EMT's and sheriffs were on the sceen in less then 10 minutes. Careflight arrived on the scene less then 20 minutes after the call was put in and they decieded since no pulse was found during the 20 minutes by any EMT's or the doctor to pronounce him dead at about 6:51.
    Lessons:
    USA Description: USPA received very little regarding this fatality. Apparently, this jumper had made a raft dive and was found in a field after landing under his main canopy. He appatently did not flare for the landing.
    USA Conclusions:The post-mortem examination determined the cause of this fatality to be a heart attack. The jumper had deployed the main canopy and died sometime during the canopy descent.
    Jumpers need to be aware that skydiving may place additional strain on the cardiovascular system, increasing the chances of heart problems for those already at risk.
  15. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    03/05/2004 Perris, CA LOWT 36 624 Y/? 22 #1061008
    Description: A canadian jumper initiated a front riser turn extremely low to the ground. He impacted at the same time as his canopy, rebounded and impacted again 20-30 feet away. He had been wearing a video-camera helmet but it was torn away during the first impact and was found separately.

    Medical help reached him within about 45 seconds and stabilized him. He had two broken femurs (one open) and serious facial/cranial injuries. He was life-flighted out. He was taken off life support and passed away 2 days later.
    Lessons:
    USA Description: After an uneventful freefall and initial canopy descent, this jumper initiated a front-riser turn at a low altitude and struck the ground after 180 degrees of rotation while still in a diving turn. He impacted knees first, and then his head struck the ground hard, resulting in multiple injuries. He received immediate medical attention and was airlifted to a hospital, where he died the following day.
    USA Conclusions:Each jumper on this load made right turns on approach into the landing area, according to a pattern set by the first jumper landing. This jumper began his downwind leg flying diagonally and low across the landing area. He then initiated a right-hand turn with his front riser, which would have required 270 degrees of rotation to merge onto final approach with the other jumpers. He was too low to complete the turn.

    He was jumping an elliptical canopy at a wing loading of 1.6:1. The report did not state how many jumps he had made on this canopy, but his total number of jumps make this an aggressive canopy choice. He may have been descending more quickly than he expected either in level flight, during the front-riser turn or both.

    The report also did not mention whether the jumper was attempting a high-performance landing or simply attempting to land in the same direction as the other jumpers on the load. For whatever reason, the jumper initiated the final turn without sufficient altitude and struck the ground hard while still in a turn. The landing area was surrounded by open desert on three sides, which would have provided a flat, unobstructed landing area. The jumper could have abandoned plans to land in the main landing area at any point during the descent before initiating the fatal turn. The report also pointed out that the jumper could have made a 90-degree left turn instead and probably landed safely in a clear area.

    Jumpers working toward a high-performance wing loading such as this should downsize in small increments and only after becoming thoroughly familiar with their current canopies. In general, jumpers should plan and follow landing patterns that provide safe approaches and landings, whether on the intended drop zone or into an alternate area. All turns must be completed with enough altitude for the canopy to return to straight and level flight for the landing flare.
  16. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    10/07/2004 Atlanta Skydiving Center, GA CCOL,MAL,BIZ 27 6700 Y/N 36 #1150793
    Description: This very experience freeflyer and canopy pilot caught a cutaway main in mid-air whilst under canopy with his left leg. He caught the lines of a cutaway main with his left leg. The cutaway main spun up, locking the lines around his leg. He was trying to get the lines off his leg. His main and the cutaway main began spinning/diving violently with Nate on his back. At approximately 100-200 feet he cutaway his own main which had entangled with the cutaway main he had caught. He landed with the lines/risers of both canopies around his left leg. His reserve handle was still in the pocket. He did not have a hook knife or a visual altimeter on this jump. He did have a turned-on Cypres, audible altimeters and a camera helmet on this jump.
    Lessons:
    USPA Description: After an uneventful freefall and canopy deployment, this jumper intentionally caught the cutaway main canopy from another jumper at approximately 1,700 feet. Some of the lines from the cutaway canopy wrapped around the jumper's left foot, causing the cutaway canopy to partially inflate and entangle with his own main canopy. An uncontrollable spin resulted. The jumper then pulled his cutaway handle to release his own main parachute at a very low altitude. He struck the ground while still entangled with the two parachutes around his ankle. Investigators found the reserve ripcord still in its pocket and the cutaway handle 20 feet away. The jumper died the next day.
    USPA Conclusions:The USPA Skydiver's Information Manual section on equipment emergencies (Section 5-1.E) states, "At some point during descent under a partial malfunction, it becomes too low for a safe cutaway, and you must deploy the reserve without cutting away." The jumper was not wearing a visual altimeter. After the entanglement, he may not have known he was at a very low altitude when he pulled his cutaway handle. A visual altimeter could have provided the jumper valuable information regarding his altitude before deciding on a course of action.

    Although USPA recommends RSLs, this jumper did not use one.

    An RSL could have favorably influenced the outcome of this incident. Experience has shown that trying to retrieve another jumper's cutaway canopy, freebag or other items is not a sound idea, regardless of skill level. Attempting it with a high-performance canopy, such as this highly experienced swoop competitor was using, makes the results even less predictable and potentially hazardous.
  17. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    02/07/2005 Skydive Wayne County, IN FFCOL 37 2300 Y/Y 128 #1716271
    Description: During a tandem deployment, there was a collision with the cameraman. The canopy was damaged, but flew one and a half miles from the dropzone. The tandem pair landed and the student was able to unhook himself after finding the instructor unresponsive, and walk half a mile through a corn-field to a road to get help. The tandem instructor died as a result of the collision. The student suffered minor facial lacerations. The cameraman was able to deploy his parachute and landed off near a house. He is being treated in hospital for a crushed pelvis. He also sustained minor injuries to the T-7, L-3 and L-5 vertebrae which should heal without surgery.
    Lessons:
    USPA Description: This jumper was serving as a tandem instructor on a skydive that was uneventful until main canopy deployment. Before the tandem instructor deployed the main parachute, the videographer floated above the tandem pair to film the opening. The tandem main canopy inflated quickly and surged forward, driving the canopy and tandem pair underneath the videographer, who was still in freefall. The videographer first struck the tandem canopy and then hit the instructor in the back of the head and neck with his pelvis and lower back. The tandem instructor was killed instantly by the collision. The tandem pair landed in a field off the DZ with the brakes of the main canopy still stowed, unguided by either the student or instructor. The student suffered minor facial lacerations but was otherwise unharmed. The videographer suffered severe injuries to his pelvis and back, but he successfully deployed his main parachute and also landed off the drop zone. He is expected to make a full recovery.
    USPA Conclusions:The USPA Instructional Rating Manual states that videographers must remain clear of the areas above and below the tandem pair to avoid collisions such as this one. During deployment of a tandem canopy, the videographer must also make sure to leave enough horizontal separation to allow for any movement of the tandem pair during the deployment. Additionally, Skydiver’s Information Manual Section 6-8 covers camera flying recommendations and specifically addresses the risks involved in close-up video of canopy deployments.