OpenAirDocs.org

20021102037909I

Incident
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Aircraft · Buckeye, AZ · November 2, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
November 2, 2002
Place
Buckeye, AZ
Airport
Buckeye 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) Ms. Kuczynski departed the aircraft for a aff level 6 jump with a rated uspa aff jumpmaster (jm) at approx 8000' AGL. At approx 4500' AGL, she tried to pull her rip cord/handle to deploy the main parachute. The jm observed that she pulled the rip cord out approx 8-10" when she lost her grip on the handle, dropping it. The jm made an attempt to reach in to pull the handle for her but missed. She then attempted to pull the reserve parachute by pulling the handle out of the pocket and extended the cord/cable about 3" out before she rolling semi inverted falling fast away from the jm. It was observed that she was first spinning face and head down as she tried to pull the reserve, recovered her body position and then reentering the spin as she tried again to pull the handle. The jm opened his parachute at approx 2500 AGL. She impacted the ground in a back to earth position. Her main container/parachute opened upon impact, her reserve pack was already open and the reserve parachute was out by 3' being extended along the lines of impact.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) MS. KUCZYNSKI DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT FOR A AFF LEVEL 6 JUMP WITH A RATED USPA AFF JUMPMASTER (JM) AT APPROX 8000' AGL. AT APPROX 4500' AGL, SHE TRIED TO PULL HER RIP CORD/HANDLE TO DEPLOY THE MAIN PARACHUTE. THE JM OBSERVED THAT SHE PULLED THE RIP CORD OUT APPROX 8-10" WHEN SHE LOST HER GRIP ON THE HANDLE, DROPPING IT. THE JM MADE AN ATTEMPT TO REACH IN TO PULL THE HANDLE FOR HER BUT MISSED. SHE THEN ATTEMPTED TO PULL THE RESERVE PARACHUTE BY PULLING THE HANDLE OUT OF THE POCKET AND EXTENDED THE CORD/CABLE ABOUT 3" OUT BEFORE SHE ROLLING SEMI INVERTED FALLING FAST AWAY FROM THE JM. IT WAS OBSERVED THAT SHE WAS FIRST SPINNING FACE AND HEAD DOWN AS SHE TRIED TO PULL THE RESERVE, RECOVERED HER BODY POSITION AND THEN REENTERING THE SPIN AS SHE TRIED AGAIN TO PULL THE HANDLE. THE JM OPENED HIS PARACHUTE AT APPROX 2500 AGL. SHE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A BACK TO EARTH POSITION. HER MAIN CONTAINER/PARACHUTE OPENED UPON IMPACT, HER RESERVE PACK WAS ALREADY OPEN AND THE RESERVE PARACHUTE WAS OUT BY 3' BEING EXTENDED ALONG THE LINES OF IMPACT.