# Incident 19970629028599I: Pepperell, MA, June 29, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 29, 1997, 19:45 local time
- Place: Pepperell, MA
- Phase of flight: Parachute Jumping
- Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
- Location: 42.6748° N, 71.5922° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Pepperell, MA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.6748&lon=-71.5922&mi=10
- Aircraft: NONE (not matched to a registry record)
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970629028599I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23)JEFFREY R. PAULINO SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES DUE TO IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. ACCORDING TO NUMBEROUS WITNESS STATEMENTS, JUMPERS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AT 13,500', JOINED IN A FORMATION AND BROKE AWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 4,500'.  JUMPERS PAULINO AND LATUCH DEPLOYED THEIR MAIN PARACHUTES AT APPROXIMATELY 2,300'.  LATUCH'S CHUTE OPENED SLOWLOY AND WHILE ATTEMPTING TO FULLY OPEN THE PARACHUTE, SHE BECAME ENTANGLED IN LINES THROUGH THE CENTER CELL OF PAULINO'S CHUTE.  BOTH JUMPERS CUT-AWAY THEIR MAIN  CHUTES.  PAULINO'S MAIN CHUTE BECAME WRAPPED AROUND LATUCH FOR A PERIOD TIME.  LATUCH WAS ABLE TO CLEAR THE WRAPPED CHUTE AND SUBSEQUENTLY DEPLOYED HER RESERVE PARACHUTE AT 1300-1500'.  MR. PAULINE CONTINUED FREEFALL WAS STABLE, HOWEVER, WITNESS STATEMENTS CONFLICT AS TO WEATHER OR NOT AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO PULL THE "D" RING IN ORDER TO DEPLOY THE RESERVE PARACHUTE.  SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF MR. PAULINO'S PARACHUTE HARNESS AND RESERVE PARACHUTE BY: INSPECTOR RICHARD BUNKER, MASSACHUSETTS AERONAUTIC COMMISSION; DONALD V. MAYER, PEPPERELL AIRPORT MANAGER AND MASTER PARACHUTE RIGGER; INSPECTOR DALE C. CRUMB, FAA, BOS FSDO-01 AT THE BOSTON CITY HOSPITAL MORGUE REVEALED THE FOLLOWING.  THE RESER VE STATIC LINE (RSL) WAS NOT USED OT ATTACHED TO THE MAIN CHUTE. THE RED THREAD WAS TAUGHT AND THE SAFETY SEAL WAS INTACT AND IN PLACE.  THE "D" RING AND CABLE WERE FREE AND IT'S OPERATION WAS UNINHIBITED.  ACTIVATION OF THE RESERVE CHUTE "D" RING EXHIBITIED NORMAL DEPLOYMENT OF THE RESERVE CHUTE.  THERE WERE NO OBVIOUS ABNORMAL MARKS ON CLOTHING OR HARNESS.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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