# Incident 20021117032979I: Cessna 182A, Creswell, OR, November 17, 2002

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 17, 2002, 15:28 local time
- Place: Creswell, OR
- Airport: Hobby Field Airport
- Phase of flight: Parachute Jumping
- Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
- Location: 43.9308° N, 123.0067° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at HOBBY FLD (77S), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.9308&lon=-123.0067&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3879D, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3879D) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 182A (registry code 2072704, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental O-470 series (registry code 17026, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 182A
- Fatal injuries: 1
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021117032979I

## Narrative

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

(-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.

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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