2 Matches (out of a total of 833 incidents)
  1. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    20/02/2002 Skydive Spaceland, TX LOWT 28 270 N/N    
    Description: After an uneventful hop and pop from a Cessna 182, this jumper initiated a hard front riser turn at ~80ft while heading downwind. He had completed the turn and had transitioned to pulling both front risers down when he impacted the group. He has unresponsive for perhaps 10 minutes, and received immediate medical care from an EMT who was present at the scene. He died about 2 weeks later at hospital. He was jumping a Sabre 120, loaded at perhaps 1.5 lb/ft^2 or more. There was no canopy traffic, and the landing area was wide an open. He had not attemped many high performance landings in the past, though he had briefly discussed how to do them with an instructor.
    Lessons:Learning to make high-performance landings is a high-risk endeavor. It is probably best learned with larger canopies (1.1-1.3lb/ft^2) before moving to more heavily loaded ones. additionally, shallow turns or even straight in approaches should be mastered before moving to 180's.
    USPA Description: Following this jumper's uneventful freefall and initial canopy descent, witnesses estimated that he initiated a front-riser turn between 75 and 125 feet above the ground and then pulled both front risers "to his chest", according to the report. At that point, he struck the ground. The jumper's helmet-mounted video camera recorded the descent and clearly showed what had occurred.

    He suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries, including two broken femurs, a broken back,a torn aorta, a ruptured spleen and a damaged kidney. He was airlifted to a hospital, where he survived on life support for nearly a month. He died shortly after it was withdrawn.
    USPA Conclusions:This relatively low-experienced jumper was trying to make a high-performance landing without any reported training under a parachute that proved too small for him to handle. His exit weight was 200 pounds, and he was jumping a 120-square-foot canopy. That calculates to a 1.67:1 wing loading. The jumper outweighed the "expert" category the manufacturer recommends for that canopy by 35 pounds and the manufacturer's maximum suspended eight by 20 pounds. The local DZ staff and experienced jumpers had reportedly warned this individual on several occasions about his canopy control.

    Jumpers need to thoroughly understand their current canopies before deciding to downsize. Jumpers who wish to perform high-performance landings should accept advice and receive training from an experienced canopy specialist, which could ofset some of the extreme risk of this activity.

    In any event, jumpers must complete all turns under canopy with enough altitude to return to straight and level flight before the time to begin the landing flare.
  2. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    14/04/2002 Skydive Spaceland, TX LOWT 32 200 Y/N   #127275
    Description: This jumper was participating in a high performance ("swoop") canopy landing competition. He was jumping a Cobalt 120, at an agrressive 1.7 lb/ft^2 loading which he had recently down-sized to. He had made several practice jumps next to the ditch during the weekend without incident. During these jumps, we was observed to still be increasing the rate of turn and decent during the last 90 degrees of the turn, and thus getting into the corner. On the jump in question he was seen hovering in one spot prearing to swoop, and then he performed a hard 360 degree turn (riser/togger not specified), and impacted the ground near the water (a 350'x30' ditch) while still in a dive, at a 30 degree angle, making no attempt to flare out of the dive. It is surmised he either intended to swoop the ground (acceptable under competition rules) or misjudged his approach. There was a brisk 45 degree crosswind during the competition. He passed away about a month later in a nearby hospital. There were several lower-time jumpers (400-800) in the competition, and a serious safety briefing was held.
    Lessons:Swoop landing is a special dicipline in skydiving, with it's own risks. Coaching and instruction is helpful when learning this, and any, skill. One possible explanation for this is target fixation, brought on by the additional intensity of competition.
    USPA Description: This jumper was participating in a pond swooping competition. After an uneventful freefall and initial canopy descent, he initiated a 360-dgree trun at an altitude estimated at 300 feet or less. He struck the ground before the canopy could be returned to level flight, resulting in multiple fractures and internal injuries. He was airlifted from the scene by helicopter and survived several surgeries in the following weeks. He died of heart failure three weeks after the accident.
    USPA Conclusions:This relatively low-experienced jumper was flying a canopy with a wing loading of 1.83:1. The canopy manufacturer states that this wing loading is for a "pro" level of experience. The jumper had stated to others before the jump that he was going to attempt a 360-degree final turn.

    Jumpers who wish to make high-performance landings must approach high-performance canopy flight with extreme caution, using a structured process with the guidance of an experienced canopy specialist. Inthis case, there was no mention of his previous canopy landing experience.

    Jumpers must complete all turns under canopy with enough altitude to return to straight and level flight before beginning the landing flare.