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20030606012089I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Aircraft · Pepperell, MA · June 6, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 6, 2003 · 12:42 local
Place
Pepperell, MA
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) Date: June 6, 2003 Pepperell airport, Pepperell ma (26MA) 12:42 EDT ASI: donald e. small/sharon felton FSDO 01 Friday 06/06/2003 privacy data omitted one fatal when a parachutist landed in an open field one-quarter mile from the jump zone. No ATC involvement. It was determined by FSDO (felton) that it was a parachutist fault. Eyewitnesses stated that they spotted two jumpers with chutes deployed. They stated they were watching them and they became concerned as they could tell from their location that they were not going to make it to the drop zone. One witness stated that she had prior experience jumping at the Pepperell airport. She stated that she could tell from the two jumper's positions that they were off course. She then saw that the victim's rate of descent was much too fast. She stated that he had made a "hook turn" at the last moment, causing him to lose altitude very fast. There were telephone poles and power lines next to the open field that the two jumpers had landed in. It was assumed by some witnesses that the victim might have tried to avoid the power lines at the last moment causing the last minute hook turn. The jumper died of multiple internal injuries a short time later at st. joseph's hospital in nashua new hampshire.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DATE: JUNE 6, 2003 PEPPERELL AIRPORT, PEPPERELL MA (26MA) 12:42 EDT ASI: DONALD E. SMALL/SHARON FELTON FSDO 01 FRIDAY 06/06/2003 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ONE FATAL WHEN A PARACHUTIST LANDED IN AN OPEN FIELD ONE-QUARTER MILE FROM THE JUMP ZONE. NO ATC INVOLVEMENT. IT WAS DETERMINED BY FSDO (FELTON) THAT IT WAS A PARACHUTIST FAULT. EYEWITNESSES STATED THAT THEY SPOTTED TWO JUMPERS WITH CHUTES DEPLOYED. THEY STATED THEY WERE WATCHING THEM AND THEY BECAME CONCERNED AS THEY COULD TELL FROM THEIR LOCATION THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE DROP ZONE. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT SHE HAD PRIOR EXPERIENCE JUMPING AT THE PEPPERELL AIRPORT. SHE STATED THAT SHE COULD TELL FROM THE TWO JUMPER'S POSITIONS THAT THEY WERE OFF COURSE. SHE THEN SAW THAT THE VICTIM'S RATE OF DESCENT WAS MUCH TOO FAST. SHE STATED THAT HE HAD MADE A "HOOK TURN" AT THE LAST MOMENT, CAUSING HIM TO LOSE ALTITUDE VERY FAST. THERE WERE TELEPHONE POLES AND POWER LINES NEXT TO THE OPEN FIELD THAT THE TWO JUMPERS HAD LANDED IN. IT WAS ASSUMED BY SOME WITNESSES THAT THE VICTIM MIGHT HAVE TRIED TO AVOID THE POWER LINES AT THE LAST MOMENT CAUSING THE LAST MINUTE HOOK TURN. THE JUMPER DIED OF MULTIPLE INTERNAL INJURIES A SHORT TIME LATER AT ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL IN NASHUA NEW HAMPSHIRE.