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20040704012729I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Aircraft · Erie, PA · July 4, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 4, 2004 · 20:20 local
Place
Erie, PA
Phase of flight
Parachute Jumping
Operating rules
Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Damage
No damage
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) privacy data omitted collided with a utility pole while approaching the intended landing zone. According to qualified eyewitnesses (a fellow parachute jumper and a jump plane pilot on the ground within 50 feet of the impact site), the main canopy had properly deployed approximately 2000 AGL several minutes prior to impact. privacy data omitted Approach seemed normal until he was observed to sink rapidly and prematurely while on short final. He maneuvered to clear one set of high-tension electrical wires but failed to clear the second set of utility wires, colliding with and breaking off the top 12 feet of the utility pole. The preceding jumper was able to clear the wires only by raising his feet. The 2 succeeding jumpers, having observed the difficulty the first two jumpers had in clearing the wires, cut their approach shorter and made normal landings without difficulty. Weather, at the time of the incident, was VFR with light surface winds. Heavy rain showers and thunderstorms were in the vicinity and within 10 miles of the landing site. Winds aloft were significantly stronger than surface winds at the lan ding site. This change in wind velocity with altitude is suspected to be a significant factor in causing the incident. Submission of this report closes this incident.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ COLLIDED WITH A UTILITY POLE WHILE APPROACHING THE INTENDED LANDING ZONE. ACCORDING TO QUALIFIED EYEWITNESSES (A FELLOW PARACHUTE JUMPER AND A JUMP PLANE PILOT ON THE GROUND WITHIN 50 FEET OF THE IMPACT SITE), THE MAIN CANOPY HAD PROPERLY DEPLOYED APPROXIMATELY 2000 AGL SEVERAL MINUTES PRIOR TO IMPACT. ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ APPROACH SEEMED NORMAL UNTIL HE WAS OBSERVED TO SINK RAPIDLY AND PREMATURELY WHILE ON SHORT FINAL. HE MANEUVERED TO CLEAR ONE SET OF HIGH-TENSION ELECTRICAL WIRES BUT FAILED TO CLEAR THE SECOND SET OF UTILITY WIRES, COLLIDING WITH AND BREAKING OFF THE TOP 12 FEET OF THE UTILITY POLE. THE PRECEDING JUMPER WAS ABLE TO CLEAR THE WIRES ONLY BY RAISING HIS FEET. THE 2 SUCCEEDING JUMPERS, HAVING OBSERVED THE DIFFICULTY THE FIRST TWO JUMPERS HAD IN CLEARING THE WIRES, CUT THEIR APPROACH SHORTER AND MADE NORMAL LANDINGS WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. WEATHER, AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, WAS VFR WITH LIGHT SURFACE WINDS. HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN THE VICINITY AND WITHIN 10 MILES OF THE LANDING SITE. WINDS ALOFT WERE SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER THAN SURFACE WINDS AT THE LAN DING SITE. THIS CHANGE IN WIND VELOCITY WITH ALTITUDE IS SUSPECTED TO BE A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN CAUSING THE INCIDENT. SUBMISSION OF THIS REPORT CLOSES THIS INCIDENT.