| Date | Location | Category | Age | # Jumps | AAD?/RSL? | Dropzone.com Report | Dropzone.com Discussion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/09/2002 | Knoxville, TN | EXC | 47 | 800 | ?/N | |||
| Description: John Seymour suffered a ruptured aorta when he struck the water after cutting away from a good canopy approximately 40 to 60 feet above the ground during a demonstration jump into the water as part of the Labor Day "Boomsday" fireworks celebration in Knoxville, TN. Emergency crews reached John almost immediately but were unable to resuscitate him. John did not say that he intended to cut away during planning. John was the first of ten jumpers to enter the water from 2 Cessnas. John did not flare prior to cutting away so he had a good deal of forward speed which probably contributed to the force with which he hit the water, as well as the forward attitude. John had jumped Boomsday the year before and flared and cut away just above the water. John was aware of the risks associated with cutting away before entering the water. He had approximately 800 skydives, close to 200 in the last year. He was 47 and is survived by his wife, a brother and father. Skydive Smoky Mountains has been part of the Boomsday celebration for the past 15 years. | ||||||||
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| USPA Description: This jumper was part of a demonstration jump where all ten of the jumpers were making intentional water landings. After an uneventful exit and parachute deployment, this jumper released his main parachute at a height estimated between 40 and 60 feet above a river. He was pulled from the water within 30 seconds, and CPR was administered by on-site medical personnel, but he died as a result of internal injuries from the hard landing. | ||||||||
| USPA Conclusions:The intended landing site for this jump was the river. During the pre-jump briefing, there was no discussion among the dmeo jumpers about intentional cutaways into the river. Judging distance above water can be very difficult. The pre-jump briefing should have included water landing procedures found in 2003 SIM Sections 5-1 and 6-5, which advise jumpers who are planning to cut away their main parachutes on water jumps to do so only after their feet have touched the water. At a high rate of speed, water is as dangerous as solid ground, and impact can result in fatal injuries. |
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| Name | John Seymour | |||||||