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19960618018419I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Aircraft · Lehi, UT · June 18, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 18, 1996 · 15:15 local
Place
Lehi, UT
Phase of flight
Parachute Jumping
Operating rules
Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Aircraft
UR051
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
2

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: tandem harness dual fatality parachute jump. Harness/container/chutes/drogue mfg. Strong. Model. Dual hawk tandem, date of mfg.. March 1995. Jumper (front). Ronald eugene green, instructor acting as a student, 14000 jumps, 400 tandem. Jumper (rear). Student melanie may colby, certifying as instructor, 800 jumps. During a tandem harness training jump at 9000 feet AGL, the main pilot drogue chute was hand deployed by the person in the back harness. In reaching for the drogue handle (pud) the drogue bridle (lanyard) was inadvertently pulled out. Upon reaching for the handle again it is suspected that the individual reached through a loop in the bridle while pulling out the drogue. This resulted in a knot pulling tight around the drogue canopy near the handle (apex) preventing it from inflating. Still at a relatively high altitude the emergency chute was then actuated by the same person. As it deployed the spring loaded drogue and attached bridal strap became entangled in the previously fouled main drogue chute. At some later point in time, probably below 6000 feet AGL, the main chute was released by the person in the front harness. Without the main drogue inflated to pull out this chute, it failed to open.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: TANDEM HARNESS DUAL FATALITY PARACHUTE JUMP. HARNESS/CONTAINER/CHUTES/DROGUE MFG. STRONG. MODEL. DUAL HAWK TANDEM, DATE OF MFG.. MARCH 1995. JUMPER (FRONT). RONALD EUGENE GREEN, INSTRUCTOR ACTING AS A STUDENT, 14000 JUMPS, 400 TANDEM. JUMPER (REAR). STUDENT MELANIE MAY COLBY, CERTIFYING AS INSTRUCTOR, 800 JUMPS. DURING A TANDEM HARNESS TRAINING JUMP AT 9000 FEET AGL, THE MAIN PILOT DROGUE CHUTE WAS HAND DEPLOYED BY THE PERSON IN THE BACK HARNESS. IN REACHING FOR THE DROGUE HANDLE (PUD) THE DROGUE BRIDLE (LANYARD) WAS INADVERTENTLY PULLED OUT. UPON REACHING FOR THE HANDLE AGAIN IT IS SUSPECTED THAT THE INDIVIDUAL REACHED THROUGH A LOOP IN THE BRIDLE WHILE PULLING OUT THE DROGUE. THIS RESULTED IN A KNOT PULLING TIGHT AROUND THE DROGUE CANOPY NEAR THE HANDLE (APEX) PREVENTING IT FROM INFLATING. STILL AT A RELATIVELY HIGH ALTITUDE THE EMERGENCY CHUTE WAS THEN ACTUATED BY THE SAME PERSON. AS IT DEPLOYED THE SPRING LOADED DROGUE AND ATTACHED BRIDAL STRAP BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE PREVIOUSLY FOULED MAIN DROGUE CHUTE. AT SOME LATER POINT IN TIME, PROBABLY BELOW 6000 FEET AGL, THE MAIN CHUTE WAS RELEASED BY THE PERSON IN THE FRONT HARNESS. WITHOUT THE MAIN DROGUE INFLATED TO PULL OUT THIS CHUTE, IT FAILED TO OPEN.