20000228029669I

Incident

FAA incident report · Aircraft · Eloy, AZ · February 28, 2000

Date: February 28, 2000 · 11:05 local
Place: Eloy, AZ
Airport: Eloy Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Parachute Jumping
Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Aircraft: UNKNOWN
Fatal injuries: 1

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.

(-23)privacy data omittedjumped from an aircraft. During descent, he pulled his main parachute ripcord. The parachute streamed out. He attemped to cut away from his main parachute and pulled his reserve. It became entangled in the main which had not released. He impacted the ground and died from impact. Examination of the main parachute showed that it was still attached by the raisers/harness due to a no.8 a/b line set having been snagged the grommet on the pack tray closing loop tab. Further inspection of all grommets in the harness and container system were properly set. Cause was interaction of a very small (thin) microline (500LB spectra) and the grommet in the main pack closure tab. This caused the initial malfunction and prevented a release of the main canopy entangling the reserve parachute. Apf service bulletin no.APF981001-A was issued by the australian parachute federation that addresses this grommet/line problem. The U.S. Parachute ferderation should incorporate the same.

As the FAA filed it

(-23)^PRIVACY DATA ^JUMPED FROM AN AIRCRAFT. DURING DESCENT, HE PULLED HIS MAIN PARACHUTE RIPCORD. THE PARACHUTE STREAMED OUT. HE ATTEMPED TO CUT AWAY FROM HIS MAIN PARACHUTE AND PULLED HIS RESERVE. IT BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE MAIN WHICH HAD NOT RELEASED. HE IMPACTED THE GROUND AND DIED FROM IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE MAIN PARACHUTE SHOWED THAT IT WAS STILL ATTACHED BY THE RAISERS/HARNESS DUE TO A NO.8 A/B LINE SET HAVING BEEN SNAGGED THE GROMMET ON THE PACK TRAY CLOSING LOOP TAB. FURTHER INSPECTION OF ALL GROMMETS IN THE HARNESS AND CONTAINER SYSTEM WERE PROPERLY SET. CAUSE WAS INTERACTION OF A VERY SMALL (THIN) MICROLINE (500LB SPECTRA) AND THE GROMMET IN THE MAIN PACK CLOSURE TAB. THIS CAUSED THE INITIAL MALFUNCTION AND PREVENTED A RELEASE OF THE MAIN CANOPY ENTANGLING THE RESERVE PARACHUTE. APF SERVICE BULLETIN NO.APF981001-A WAS ISSUED BY THE AUSTRALIAN PARACHUTE FEDERATION THAT ADDRESSES THIS GROMMET/LINE PROBLEM. THE U.S. PARACHUTE FERDERATION SHOULD INCORPORATE THE SAME.