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20021117032979I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Cessna 182A · Creswell, OR · November 17, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 17, 2002 · 15:28 local
Place
Creswell, OR
Airport
Hobby Field Airport
Phase of flight
Parachute Jumping
Operating rules
Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Aircraft
N3879D
Reported as
Cessna 182A
Fatal injuries
1
N3879DRegistered now · Cessna 182AS/N 34579 · Built 1957Airframe modelCessna 182AEngine modelContinental O-470 seriesReciprocating

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) On November 18, 2002, supervisor henry baller requested inspector john r. clark and inspector marcus carr to investigate a parachuting accident that occurred at Creswell, Oregon. Inspector clark and inspector carr arrived at the lane county sheriff's office that day at about 1:00 pm. Lt. michael sanford released the parachute equipment to the inspectors. The equipment consisted of a main ram air parachute, navigator NA300-000860, container assembly, dolphin 9694, reserve parachute, precision raven 4, s/n: 474660B, a helmet, and goggles. Lt. sanford gave copies of the police reports to the inspectors. The police report states that the victim's name is chris j. stipek. Mr. Stipek was a student jumper. Mr. Stipek's trainer said that he had 8 to 10 jump of experience. Mr. Stipek was affiliated with eugene skydivers, Creswell, Oregon. The inspectors inspected the parachute equipment and did not find any evident failures. The packing card revealed that the reserve chute was last packed November 15, 2002, by senior rigger kevin snedker, certificate number 543960959. Moreover, there was no airworthiness or packing faults found with this accident. Inspector clark took photos of the equipment. The inspectors inspected the jump aircraft and found no apparent airworthiness short falls. The inspectors interviewed the following people:privacy data omitted it is concluded from the witness reports and physical evidence that Mr. Stipek successfully deployed the main parachute at or about 5000 feet AGL. Sometime between the deployment of the main chute and contact with the ground, OR in this case the trees, Mr. Stipek, at the least, became disoriented. Apparently, he wasn't in his right mind to the extent that he did not attempt to engage the steering toggles to steer the parachute and descended into 100-foot trees, then to the ground. The lane county medical examiner concluded that the victim died from a diffuse suberquinknoid hemorrhage to the head. This was due to a blunt object strike to the head. The medical examiner could not conclude if the victim was unconscious before the strike to his head. The medical examiner said that the victim did not have a heart attack or a stroke.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON NOVEMBER 18, 2002, SUPERVISOR HENRY BALLER REQUESTED INSPECTOR JOHN R. CLARK AND INSPECTOR MARCUS CARR TO INVESTIGATE A PARACHUTING ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED AT CRESWELL, OREGON. INSPECTOR CLARK AND INSPECTOR CARR ARRIVED AT THE LANE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE THAT DAY AT ABOUT 1:00 PM. LT. MICHAEL SANFORD RELEASED THE PARACHUTE EQUIPMENT TO THE INSPECTORS. THE EQUIPMENT CONSISTED OF A MAIN RAM AIR PARACHUTE, NAVIGATOR NA300-000860, CONTAINER ASSEMBLY, DOLPHIN 9694, RESERVE PARACHUTE, PRECISION RAVEN 4, S/N: 474660B, A HELMET, AND GOGGLES. LT. SANFORD GAVE COPIES OF THE POLICE REPORTS TO THE INSPECTORS. THE POLICE REPORT STATES THAT THE VICTIM'S NAME IS CHRIS J. STIPEK. MR. STIPEK WAS A STUDENT JUMPER. MR. STIPEK'S TRAINER SAID THAT HE HAD 8 TO 10 JUMP OF EXPERIENCE. MR. STIPEK WAS AFFILIATED WITH EUGENE SKYDIVERS, CRESWELL, OREGON. THE INSPECTORS INSPECTED THE PARACHUTE EQUIPMENT AND DID NOT FIND ANY EVIDENT FAILURES. THE PACKING CARD REVEALED THAT THE RESERVE CHUTE WAS LAST PACKED NOVEMBER 15, 2002, BY SENIOR RIGGER KEVIN SNEDKER, CERTIFICATE NUMBER 543960959. MOREOVER, THERE WAS NO AIRWORTHINESS OR PACKING FAULTS FOUND WITH THIS ACCIDENT. INSPECTOR CLARK TOOK PHOTOS OF THE EQUIPMENT. THE INSPECTORS INSPECTED THE JUMP AIRCRAFT AND FOUND NO APPARENT AIRWORTHINESS SHORT FALLS. THE INSPECTORS INTERVIEWED THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE:^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IT IS CONCLUDED FROM THE WITNESS REPORTS AND PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THAT MR. STIPEK SUCCESSFULLY DEPLOYED THE MAIN PARACHUTE AT OR ABOUT 5000 FEET AGL. SOMETIME BETWEEN THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE MAIN CHUTE AND CONTACT WITH THE GROUND, OR IN THIS CASE THE TREES, MR. STIPEK, AT THE LEAST, BECAME DISORIENTED. APPARENTLY, HE WASN'T IN HIS RIGHT MIND TO THE EXTENT THAT HE DID NOT ATTEMPT TO ENGAGE THE STEERING TOGGLES TO STEER THE PARACHUTE AND DESCENDED INTO 100-FOOT TREES, THEN TO THE GROUND. THE LANE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER CONCLUDED THAT THE VICTIM DIED FROM A DIFFUSE SUBERQUINKNOID HEMORRHAGE TO THE HEAD. THIS WAS DUE TO A BLUNT OBJECT STRIKE TO THE HEAD. THE MEDICAL EXAMINER COULD NOT CONCLUDE IF THE VICTIM WAS UNCONSCIOUS BEFORE THE STRIKE TO HIS HEAD. THE MEDICAL EXAMINER SAID THAT THE VICTIM DID NOT HAVE A HEART ATTACK OR A STROKE.