# Incident 20040415035119I: Eloy, AZ, April 15, 2004

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 15, 2004, 10:00 local time
- Place: Eloy, AZ
- Airport: Eloy Municipal Airport
- Phase of flight: Parachute Jumping
- Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
- Location: 32.8067° N, 111.5866° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ELOY MUNI (E60), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.8067&lon=-111.5866&mi=10
- Aircraft: UNKNOWN (not matched to a registry record)
- Fatal injuries: 1
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040415035119I

## Narrative

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

(-23) SKYDIVER LEFT AIRCRAFT WITH GROUP AND WAS VIDEO MAN FOR FREEFALL FORMATION FLIGHT. HE OPENED HIS MAIN CANOPY AT NORMAL OPENING ALTITUDE, AND DESCENDED FOR LANDING UNDER A FULLY FUNCTIONING MAIN CANOPY. UPON SETTING UP FOR LANDING THE SKYDIVER MADE AN AGGRESSIVE 180 DEGREE TURN TO LAND INTO THE WIND. THE TURN WAS INITIATED AT A FAIRLY LOW ALTITUDE BUT WAS NOT EXCESSIVELY LOW TO PREVENT A SAFE LANDING. AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET AGL THE MAIN CANOPY SLIDER (WHICH WAS STOWED UNDER THE SKYDIVERS CHIN) SLIPPED UP IN FRONT OF HIS FACE AND COVERED HIS EYES AND CAMERA LENS. THIS BLINDED HIM FROM BEING ABLE TO DETERMINE SAFE ALTITUDE FOR PERFORMING HIS LANDING FLARE. THE LACK OF FLARE AND CONTINUATION OF THE TURN RESULTED IN TOO HIGH RATE OF SPEED & HIGH RATE OF DESCENT FOR A SAFE LANDING. THE SKYDIVER SUFFERED MASSIVE HEAD TRAUMA AND LATER DIED. PARACHUTE INCIDENT.

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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