47 Matches (out of a total of 833 incidents)
  1. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    04/01/1998 Skydive Arizona, AZ CCOL 34 150 NA/NA    
    Description: After a canopy collision at ~50ft., the pair impacted in a wrap. One was killed, the other seriously injured. The DZ manager says: "It was kind of like two cars trying to pull into the same lane at the same time. Their bridles tangled up and caused their parachutes to go into a very fast spin. Neither jumper was jumping a high-performance parachute. Both jumpers had less than 200 jumps and both were very current." One was jumping a PD-190, the deceased was jumping a Turbo ZX 165. There was little other canopy traffic at the time.
    Lessons:Keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel.
  2. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    31/01/1998 Rome, GA LAND? 47 671 NA/NA    
    Description: The deceased performed a turn hard enough to induce line twists in the canopy, probably at around 500+ feet. He tried to kick out of the line twists, but the toggle was locked down by the tension. He completed three full spirals before impact.
    Lessons:Know thy canopy. Getting it into line twists can be a very serious situation, as this incident demonstrates. Perhaps dumping the reserve (NOT cutting away), might have slowed things down slightly, but this is pure speculations. This is one of the risks of jumping a more heavily loaded (perhaps elliptical) canopy.
  3. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    21/02/1998 Carolina Sky Sports, NC CCOL 53 6827 N/Y    
    Description: After a 5-way on the sunset load with normal opennings at around 3000, there was a canopy collision, probably caused by 1 or more off heading opennings. The deceased was tangled in the lower jumpers canopy. The lower jumper cutaway and landed safely under his reserve. The deceased was spinning faster and faster with both mains tangled above him. He cutaway, but could not get clear of the tangled mains. He deployed his reserve which never completely inflated and tangled with the other canopies. He spiraled into the ground, landing near the treeline in a field. He was an Instructor/Examiner who had trained hundreds of jumpers via static line. He was jumping a Manta, a 288ft^2 F111 main, loaded at about 1.0.
    Lessons:Avoiding a wrap in the first place is your best defense; the deceased was stowing his slider when the collision occured. You are never too experienced to get killed skydiving. Talk to an experienced CRW jumper for tips about how to handle a wrap when it occurs.
  4. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    22/02/1998 Skydive Suffolk, VA LOWT 42 1400 NA/NA    
    Description: The victim executed 120- 180 degree hook turn 30 ft in air and imapacted the ground at the same time as his canopy. The victim is in critcal condition and is expected to be disconnected from the resporator tommorow. He suffered a broken back in 3 places and broken pelvis as well as torn brain stem. The victim had 18 years in sport and 1400 jumps. He was jumping a f-111 canopy and was not a known hook-turner. Size of canopy unknown. He passed away 10 days later in the hospital without ever regaining conciousness or showing signs of brain activity.
    Lessons:Low turns can kill you even on non-ZP canopies. You really need to be flying striaght when you land.
  5. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    05/03/1998 Mollala, OR NOP 42 200 Y/Y    
    Description: Apparently, the deceased had a sporadic jumping history, having started jumping 5 years before the incident. He borrowed gear from the DZ and may have received a brief intro. After a two-way skydive, he was found with nothing but his cutaway handle pulled. A family member of the deceased indicated that the deceased was familiar with the BOC deployment system on this rig. He had jumped at this DZ before. One report from a local jumper states he had been with the deceased on prior jumps and that the deceased had "blacked out" before and was "out of it".
    Lessons:Lack of currency coupled with borrowed gear were probably significant contributing factors to this fatality. I had heard that the rig had an AAD but for reasons unknown (lack of familiarity?) it was not turned on.
  6. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    26/03/1998 Titusville, FL LOWT 27 3300 NA/NA    
    Description: At a few hundred feet above the ground, he flew across the wind line, downwind of the landing area and did his customary 270 degree diving hook turn, with a planned turf swoop 30 degrees off the wind line. Witnesses would later report that his turn completion was low, but not the lowest they've seen and, survivable - if he perceived the problem right away. His downward sink was too fast, his toggle inputs too little, too late. Turbulance or downdrafts may have been a complicating factor. His hardshell helmet was cracked in two, and suffered significant internal injuries. He was jumping a Jedei loaded at around 1.85. (195lbs w/o gear under a 120). He sucumbed to these injuries about 1 week later. His team was training to compete for the Canadian National Team slot for this year's Nationals. He started jumping in the early '90's and was a Tandem Master, Instructor, and Rigger.
    Lessons:Jumping a highly loaded canopy and chosing do to low turns to final approach add significant risks. Any error, jumper induced (lost toggle, too low) or not (turbulance, thermals), can result in a fatal accident. Be aware of the risks; even extreme currency and experience can be insufficient to ensure survival.
  7. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    13/04/1998 Dillingham, HI EXC,MAL 37 11000 N?/N?    
    Description: During the filming for a skydiving film, the deceased was wearing a modified harness-jumpsuit combination (bat-wing-esqe). After some modifications to the system, he went up to make another jump and experienced a bag-lock malfunction. It appears that he was unable to cutaway, and deployed his reserve into the main bag, and landed under the resulting streamering reserve.
    Lessons:This was an exceptional skydive made by an exceptional skydiver. His history of pushing the envelope has changed skydiving dramatically into the form we know it today. Unfortunately, the risk of pushing the envelope is that it may tear someday. If there is any lesson, it is that experience, maturity, and talent may not be enough to get one through every situation.
  8. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    18/04/1998 Skydance Skydiving, CA MAL 28 2500 Y?/Y?    
    Description: A Main-reserve entanglement of some sort. Details are sketchy.
    Lessons:-
  9. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    18/04/1998 Skydance Skydiving, CA MAL 26 1 /    
    DropZone.com Description:
    Lessons:
  10. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    06/05/1998 Bartlesville, OK LOWT,EXC ?/?    
    Description: Appears to have been a low turn at a demo due to a misjudgement of altitude.
    Lessons:-
  11. 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.
  12. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    23/06/1998 Cross Keys, NJ MAL 43 440 Y/?    
    Description: PC in Tow, reserve deployed, entagement.
    Lessons:-
  13. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    25/06/1998 Duanesburg, NY LAND 21 200 ?/?    
    Description: On a day with rather high winds, this jumper experienced a canopy collapse at low altitude (50-100ft), leaving little or no time to react.
    Lessons:-
  14. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    28/06/1998 Aerodrome Sports, IN MAL,MED? 46 1 Y/Y    
    Description: [This appears to be incident 2, from Parachutist 10/98] A 1st jump S/L student had a malfunction that resulted in a spinning main, due to a bad exit with the main deploying under her arm. She was obersved to make some attempted to control the canopy, but the spin resumed at around 100 feet. The jumper took no action to deploy a reserve and the AAD fired, but the reserve did not deploy out of the container (under a fully inflated,spinning main there may not have been enough drag). She was found cyanotic at the scene. Her risers were disconnected, but only a few feet away, indicating that she may have cutaway just before impact. paramedics indicated unoficially that she showed signs of having had a heart attack.
    Lessons:3 things cause malfunctions. Bad packing, which youcan prevent. Bad body position, which you can take care of. And Bad Karma, which you can't. This seems a clear case of the middle case, with perhaps a bit of the third thrown in for good measure.
  15. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    30/06/1998 Skydive Chicago, IL MAL 21 1 Y/Y    
    Description: A first jump static line student exited one of our Cesna 182's from thestrut. During deployment the student caught the pilot chute in his left hand afterwhich the bridle wrapped around his arm. He appeared to try to clear the entanglement while still in view of the jumpmaster. The AAD (FXC) fired atapproximately 1000'.During reserve deployment the skirt of the (round) reserve canopy became entangled in the bridle which prevented it from inflating. The student was found with the bridle still wrapped around his arm. He had pulled the reserve ripcord below 1000' after the FXC had fired. Equipment failure cannot be cited as the cause of the reserve malfunction.It appears to be a one in a million fluke that has very slim odds of ever being duplicated.
    Lessons:-
  16. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    04/07/1998 LaCrosse, WI MAL,EXC 39 850 N/N    
    Description: The deceased was last (of 3) out of a Westwind beech, jumping into a Fourth of July Celibration. During exit, her container inadvertantly opened, casuing her canopy and lines to taknle with a foot-mounted pyrotechnic bracket. She landed this malfunction without pulling main pilot chute, cutaway or reserve. It is not known if she was concious after exit. It was discovered during investigations that there was a latch protruding from the door frame, which may have both caused a tear in the main flap of her rig, and caused the pin to be extracted prematurely. Another jumper at this DZ was found with similar damage to his rig, presumably form the same latch.
    Lessons:A demo is not your everyday skydive. Adding extra equipment, and jumping a night is an additional risk. Be very aware of your aircraft and look for sharp edges and protuberences which might catch or damage your gear.
  17. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    04/07/1998 Skydive Chicago, IL LAND 35 500 N/Y    
    Description: This is updated information for the fatality on Sat. July 4 '98.The formal investigation was completed Wednesday July 8 '98 by the FAA,LaSalle County Sheriff, and an S&TA Equipment:Main Triathlon 170 (7 cell), Reserve Raven 2 with RSL in place and no AAD, Container Javelin J4, Chest mount Alt. and Jack knife (still in place), Collapsible slider. The jumper was found approximately 400 yards from where he had opened withboth brakes off and the slider had been collapsed.This indicates that the jumper was conscious, aware, and in control of his canopy after opening.From witness reports he had exited from 13,000 feet with 6 other jumpers onan organized dive.After a few failed attempts to dock with the others he tracked away andpulled at approx. 3,000 feet.An S&TA saw the jumper spiral for the last 200 feet before impact. He was found with his right foot entangled in the right risers.The main canopy was inspected and found in good condition.The jumper had over 500 jumps most of which were successful CReW jumps.From his experience, body position, and extreme spiraling action, it is believed that once he had flown back to the airport he had attempted to invert himself in the harness, perhaps attempting a handstand on top of his slider, while steering wit his foot in the cascades of the suspension lines. During this maneuver, he likely entangled his right foot in the risers/lines forcing a normally docile canopy into an extreme spiral.This radical of a spin under this type of canopy cannot be achieved with any kind of toggle action.
    Lessons:This would have been better attempted at a much higher altitude.
  18. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    04/07/1998 Ellington, CT LOWT 26 670 ?/N    
    Description: [I am assuming this is incident 3, reported in Parachutist 10/98] After a typical 6-way skydive, with normal breakoff and opening, the deceased performed a slow front-riser turn into the landing area. At about 50', his canopy collapsed on one side, and did not reinflate. He died of head trauma. On previous skydives, the deceased had noticed the canopies instability in light turbulence, and (on this jump) chose to land in proximity to tall (40') trees. He was jumping an AeroGlide Griffin 120.
    Lessons:Know thy canopy. There is some additional risk to jumping a canopy, which may not be as thoroughly wrung-out or tested as those produced en masse by a major manufacturer. However, it is not imprudent to stop jumping or to change your flying behaviour, reguardless of canopy type, if you notice unstable behaviour in particular situations. Given the size of the deceased's reserve (170), it would not be surprising if this canopy was loaded at 1.5 or higher, though this is speculation.
  19. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    04/07/1998 Green Sea, SC AIR 23 55 ?/?    
    Description: An experienced skydiver's pilot chute escaped while standing on the step of the airplane (A C182). This pulled out the parachute which wrapped around the tail section of the airplane, pulling him into that section of the plane. He then fell from that section of the plane. It is unclear if anything else was deployed, but in any case, he did not survive. The plane was damaged, but landed without incident. Here is the NTSB report disagrees. The deceased was not used to jumping out of 182's, and it is possible his unfamiliarity with movement in a small plane may have contributed to a premature deployment.
    Lessons:Protect thy Pins, Maintain thy Gear, and Get a Pin Check!
  20. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    12/07/1998 Merrit Island, FL LAND?,LOWT? 37 ?/?    
    Description: This jumper apparently collided with a hanger and died later at the hospital from injuries sustained from the collision.
    Lessons:-
  21. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    12/07/1998 Parkman, OH MED,LAND 44 1500 ?/?    
    Description: This jumper likely suffered a diabetic reaction while under canopy, at somewhere between 300 and 500 ft. He slumped in his harness, driving his parachute into a fast spin, which continued until impact. He died aboard a helicopter in route to the medical center.
    Lessons:While there is no conclusive proof that the accident was related to this jumpers known medical condition (Diabetes), it seems the most likely explanation at this time. The high-performance canopy he was probably using served to exacerbate the spin, and thus the extent of the injuries.
  22. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    16/07/1998 Mollala, OR SUI,NOP 35 200 ?/?    
    Description: Following a RW dive, this jumper failed to deploy anything. The coroner ruled this death a suicide given reports from family and friends concerning this person's recent behaviour and actions.
    Lessons:Please, choose a different way to end your life besides skydiving. You're only causing additional pain to people whom you may not even realize probably care about you.
  23. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    19/07/1998 Greenville, SC MAL,NOP 51 550 N/N    
    Description: Following a RW dive with a normal breakoff at 3500, this jumper had a main malfunction and cutaway. No reserve pull followed. He was using a Javelin H/C,Sharpchuter main,Rascal 202 reserve. He also had two previous cutaways within the last three years.
    Lessons:-
  24. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    19/07/1998 Skydive Chicago, IL EXC,FFCOL 40 3400 N/?    
    Description: Incident occured during the 300-way record attempts. At break-off time from the 3rd record attempt, she was involved in a FF collision which rendered her unconcious. No attempt at deployment was evident
    Lessons:-
  25. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    26/07/1998 Gonzalez, LA MAL,BIZ 20 26 ?/?    
    Description: The deceased was making a 2-way RW jump from 14,000, pulled high at about 5000 and fell from the harness during opening shock. She had failed to route her chest strap correctly.
    Lessons:Check your gear. My chest strap get's checked at least three times, and I always look at other people's when in the airplane.
  26. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    08/08/1998 Kapowsin, WA DMAL 45 1000 Y/Y    
    Description: While video indicated a good main canopy and deployment, the tandem pair was later observed to be under a malfunctioning reserve canopy. No one saw the cutaway from the main, which was far above the tandem pair. The apparent horseshoe malfunction got worse as the pair decended. The instructor did not survive the landing. According to the student, the instructor and student struggled to get a line (or lines) untangled from the student's legs all the way until impact. It is likely the student inadvertently pulled the cutaway while the instructor was loosening the harness straps at the hips.
    Lessons:Carrying a hook knife (sewn into the student harness) has become practice at this DZ. It is probably a wise option, as the higher deployment altitudes of tandems do provide more time to handle a problem.
  27. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    09/08/1998 Kapowsin, WA LAND,BIZ 23 1 Y/Y    
    Description: After a normal tandem skydive, at about 300-400 feet, one side of the canopy collapsed (perhaps due to thermals off of the runway), causing the tandem pair to spiral into the ground. The student died immediately, and the instructor was taken to hospital by helicopter.
    Lessons:This appears to be an absolute fluke, unrelated to any actions taken by the instructor or his student.
  28. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    09/08/1998 Instead Sky Sports, NV MAL 41 4 N/Y    
    Description: It appears this IAD static line student exitted unstably, and got horseshoed with the main. She "waited too long" to deploy her reserve. Evidence indicates this is a fly-by-night DZ, which is no longer in business. The gear was very old and in a state of disrepair. She did not have an altimeter. The JM is not returning phone calls, and may not have been rated in the first place.
    Lessons:There is no excuse for training students without an AAD and well-maintained gear.
  29. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    14/08/1998 Quincy, IL MAL 29 3200 Y/?    
    Description: The deceased experienced a pilot-chute-in-tow (or perhaps bag-lock) malfunction on a skysurfing jump. He jettisoned the board, but pulled the reserve too low for inflation. He died immediately on impact with the runway. Though the deceased had a CYPRES, it appears to have been turned off on this jump. The reserve pin was pulled, and the loop not cut. He was heard to remark to someone on the previous jump that he had forgotten to turn his CYPRES on. The batteries were replaced within the previous 10 days.
    Lessons:Skysurfing, though becoming relatively common, is still a skydive with a significant extra workload. This jumper was a world-class competitor, so this should serve a s a good reminder to be diligent about openning high on surf jumps, as well as to practice your emergency procedures regularly.
  30. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    16/08/1998 Cushing, OK MAL 45 2500 N/N    
    Description: After a pull at about 1500, this jumper experienced a spinning malfunction of his main canopy (Icarus, 7 cell elliptical). He road the malfunction for several revolutions, cutaway at about 400 feet, with no reserve pull.
    Lessons:
  31. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    06/09/1998 Elsinore, CA SUI?,NOP 37 34 N/N    
    Description: On his 3rd or 4th jump of the day, the deceased went in with no handles pulled except for his cutaway. Discussions with family and friends lead to the theory that this incident could very well be a suicide. The police report concurs.
    Lessons:If you are ever tempted, consider seeking professional help.
  32. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    18/09/1998 Shelton, WA MAL 41 1300 Y/?    
    Description: This jumper experienced a dual-deployment of main and reserve, for reasons which are not known. He was using a Sentinel AAD which may have fired the reserve, though this type of unit is known to fire occationally on hard landings. He cutaway the main below 100 ft, which did not improve the situation.
    Lessons:
  33. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    19/09/1998 Skydive San Marcos, TX NOP 20 Y/Y    
    Description: A visiting jumper from Vermont rented a student rig and went up and did a 2-way with his brother. No handles were pulled, and the Sentinel AAD never fired
    Lessons:Unfamiliar gear and low experience are a dangerous combination.
  34. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    19/09/1998 Chesapeake, VA LOWT ?/?    
    Description: The deceased made a low turn near to the ground, and did not return to level flight before striking the ground.
    Lessons:Information on the type of canopy, and the jumpers currency would be interesting…
  35. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    27/09/1998 Aerohio, OH LOWT 19 55 Y/?    
    Description: The deceased made a low turn near to the ground, and did not return to level flight before striking the ground. [Deja vu?]. He was a current jumper, having started in May of this year. He was jumping a Triathlon 120, loaded at approximately 1.25. He typically jumped a Tri135, loaded closer to 1.1. This was likely not a low turn intended to build up speed, as he was headed downwind, and turned at about 30 feet to get back into the wind. Additionally, he had not been seen attempting swoop-style landings in the past.
    Lessons:This is a very agressive loading for a jumper of this experience. Personally, I jump (as of 1/6/99) a Triathlon loaded at about 1.35, which can allow a very fast landing. It seems unwise to fly such a high wingloading at such an experience level.
  36. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    27/09/1998 Boulder City, NV MAL 42 300 Y/?    
    Description: After a 4-way from 12,500, the deceased was unable to deploy his main because the pilot chute handle was stuffed too far inside it's pouch. He did not deploy his reserve until 200ft or less, too low for it to deply. His CYPRES AAD was, unfortunately, turned off.
    Lessons:Try once, try twice, give up and use your reserve.
  37. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    04/10/1998 Titusville, FL LAND 44 400 ?/?    
    Description: A local and frequent jumper at Skydive SpaceCenter, Titusville, FL died after sustaining injuries in an off-airport landing. The jump was a 4-way RW jump, part of a 4-way Scrambles competition. Exit altitude was 13.5k ft. There were no reported equipment malfunctions. Indications are that the accident was a result of maneuvers to avoid power lines. There was no intentional hook turn-type landing attempted.
    Lessons:Choose your off-field landing sites with care!
  38. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    11/10/1998 Fulton County, OH NOP 24 50 N/?    
    Description: After a uneventful 4-way, at 3000 he waved off and reached for his throw out but didn't throw. He went back into a hard arch and never attempted to throw out again. He stayed on heading and stable all the way down. The rig was inspected and ther reserve handle was in tact. The pilot chute was properly stowed, and the parachute properly packed.
    Lessons:Inexperience was likely a factor in this incident. An AAD would have almost certainly helped in this incident.
  39. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    23/10/1998 Pahokee, FL LAND 50 13 ?/?    
    Description: The deceased made a solo skydive (an AFF Level 8 - he had passed his Level 7 earlier in the day) from 5000, openning normally. He landed in Lake Okechobee and drowned. He was jumping a a 260, student rig. He was out at 5,000 and according to a witness/rigger at the school, he was long and south of the airport. Mike for unknown reasons turned west and ran with the wind ending up a half to three quarters of a mile over the lake. It is believed that he might of tried to turn into the wind at the last second and hit the water. The water was only 4-6' deep. He was found with loosened shoulder [sic] straps and leg straps, indicating he may have been prepared for a water landing.

    The body was recovered, afloat, less than two hours after landing, approximately 3/4 of a mile from shore. It is not clear if he could have made it to shore, or if he tried to inflate the floatation device which was attached to his rig. Ground winds were reported to be 12-14mph at jump time, and were measured to be 17-22mph (one report says "26mph") during the rescue.
    Lessons:Better choice of exit points, a floation device, and perhaps a more prudent evaluation of the winds might have made a difference in this incident. Lack of experience in high winds may have contributed to him getting farther out over the water than he could return from. Additionally, a low turn before landing could have resulted in loss of conciousness when hitting the water, which might have contributed to drowning in such relatively shallow water.
  40. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    25/10/1998 Laurel, DE LAND 29 500 ?/?    
    Description: He organized a 12 way freefly. The dive exited and went as planned, with a clean breakoff at 5K. Everyone had a clean opening. The deceased intentionally stalled his canopy several times as he had planned to do (to give a good show). At around 1000', on his 3rd stall, he let the brakes up very quickly to end the stall, causing the canopy to dive radically while the re-inflation shock jerked him upward, and into the lines of the diving canopy. His feet became tangled with the line groups and a violent spin began. Around 500' his reserve pilot chute was deployed, but immediately entangled the main. He streamered (spiraled) in and impacted head first into an asphalt road. The reserve was found out, but never had time to fully inflate. The cutaway handle and reserve were both found nearby. A clean cutaway was not possible because of the self induced entanglement. The deceased was not known for radical canopy manuevers, and seldom made turns below 500'. Turbulence was not likely a factor, as it was a mild day with light winds. He was jumping a Jedei 150 at a wingloading of about 1.35 lb/ft^2.
    Lessons:Radical canopy maneuvers carry an extra risk. Once the situation developed, it appears there were no available options to correct the situation, and that all options had been attempted. Even a hook knife would have been of little use at that altitude.
  41. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    14/11/1998 Orange, VA MAL 71 4000 N/N?    
    Description: The main container was nearly impossible to open due to a mis-routed bridal for the pull-out pilot chute. Apparently no attempt was made to open the reserve as the reserve ripcord was still in place.
    Lessons:"Try once, try twice, give up and go to your reserve."
  42. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    14/11/1998 Perris, CA CCOL 40 500 ?/?    
    Description: During the one of the POPS record attempts, two jumpers collided while under canopy at a low altitude (75-100ft.) Both had very hard landings, and one did not survive.
    Lessons:Particularly on large dives, it is advisable to land away from the center of things. Less traffic means less chance of a collision. Which is undoubtedly a good thing.
  43. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    28/11/1998 Skydive Arizona, AZ NOP,SUI 120 ?/N?    
    Description: The deceased made a solo freefly jump with no helmet or altimeter. He was not noticed as missing until Sunday, and not found til Monday. No attempt to pull any handles was evident. It is suspected his CYPRES was off.
    Lessons:Suicide seems like a possibility, but perhaps just a case of losing track of altitude in a very, very serious way.
  44. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    29/11/1998 West Tennessee Skydiving, TN LOWT 38 350 Y/?    
    Description: The deceased executed a low turn under a 215 sq. ft. F-111 nine cell (a Falcon), and impacted with one toggle still buried. The extent of his injuries was such that he could not have survived had he landed in a trauma center, though efforts at resuscitation continued for over half an hour. From eyewitness accounts and the video that was recovered it seemed he was too high on final, turned around and realized he would be doing a very fast downwind, and used an aggressive toggle turn to go back into the wind. He didn't even begin to recover before impact.
    Lessons:Landing downwind is preferable to landing in a turn.
  45. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    19/12/1998 Ocala, FL LAND,EXC 39 850 ?/?    
    Description: During a night demo jump onto private property, the deceased snagged his canopy on a tree, and then slammed into the ground.Reports indicate the impact with the ground was violent enough to tear his aorta. He was also, apparently, jumping a small, fairly-loaded canopy.
    Lessons:Demos, particularly night demos, are higher-risk skydives. Choosing wether to jump a small, familiar canopy, or a larger, slower, more foreign canopy can be very tough. I think if you're in a situation where making that decision correctly is crucial, then you are contemplating a jump which is significantly more risky than usual..
  46. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    23/12/1998 Thomaston, GA LAND,LOWT 54 186 ?/?    
    Description: On 17/12/98, this jumper ended up low and heading down wind while attempting to land in strong winds. He tried to turn back into the wind, but was too low for complete parachute recovery before landing. Life Flight medivaced him to a hospital in Macon which classified his condition as critical. The family disconnected life support, as per his wishes, Tuesday evening, December 22. He passed away Wednesday, December 23 at approximately 1:00 A.M. He weighed 175lbs and was jumping a Falcon 235.
    Lessons:As someone on rec.skydiving mentioned, prepare yourself mentally for this situation. If you find yourself low and heading downwind, you have three options. The natural reaction is to make a hard turn to get facing the correct way; this can easily break or kill you. Alternatively, you can do the best flare you can, followed by a good PLF; running it out will probably not be possible if the winds are anything other than light. While this might get you hurt, it is preferable to landing in a hard turn. The third alternative, which is only a possibility if you have practiced it up high, is to do a slow braked-turn to get crosswind or so. If you don't know how to do this, please ask an instructor for advice on how to learn this very important canopy control technique. Done right, it can save your butt, done poorly, it's equivalent to a hard turn, with similar consequences. Be aware that in light winds (say, 5 MPH or less), there is little risk to just landing downwind. This jumper was flying a canopy loaded well under 1.0 lb/ft^2. Even with a lightly loaded canopy, it is very possible to hammer yourself into the ground. This problem is not just a feature of highly loaded canopies. Any canopy flown improperly can maim or kill. As someone on rec.skydiving mentioned, prepare yourself mentally for this situation. If you find yourself low and heading downwind, you have three options. The natural reaction is to make a hard turn to get facing the correct way; this can easily break or kill you. Alternatively, you can do the best flare you can, followed by a good PLF; running it out will probably not be possible if the winds are anything other than light. While this might get you hurt, it is preferable to landing in a hard turn. The third alternative, which is only a possibility if you have practiced it up high, is to do a slow braked-turn to get crosswind or so. If you don't know how to do this, please ask an instructor for advice on how to learn this very important canopy control technique. Done right, it can save your butt, done poorly, it's equivalent to a hard turn, with similar consequences. Be aware that in light winds (say, 5 MPH or less), there is little risk to just landing downwind.

    This jumper was flying a canopy loaded well under 1.0 lb/ft^2. Even with a lightly loaded canopy, it is very possible to hammer yourself into the ground. This problem is not just a feature of highly loaded canopies. Any canopy flown improperly can maim or kill.
  47. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    26/12/1998 Maricopa, AZ FFCOL 60 1 Y/Y    
    Description: An experienced jumper gave his mother a tandem for Christmas. He filmed it. At pull time he found himself "next to the drogue". He hit the deploying main and became wrapped in it. He worked his way out of the mess but snagged a line with his foot. As he fell clear, the line broke and he hit the Tandem pair. He continued in freefall and deployed his main. He landed safely. The tandem master and possibly the passenger were knocked out. The tandem slowly spun into the ground. The Tandem Master is alive and in the hospital. The passenger (mother) was killed.
    Lessons:Colliding with the subject you are filming is a very, very serious error. Everything which occured after this point is only a consequence of that error.