20040807022849I

Incident

FAA incident report · Beech B90 · Suffolk, VA · August 7, 2004

Date
August 7, 2004 · 16:00 local
Place
Suffolk, VA
Airport
Suffolk Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Parachute Jumping
Operating rules
Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Aircraft
N9838Z
Reported as
Beech B90
People aboard
1
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) The victim was engaged in his third jump of the day. As reported by multiple witnesses, the jump started out uneventfully, and he was seen flying his parachute (which had deployed without incident) back to the landing zone, turning in for final at approx. 600-700 ft AGL, and starting a straight-in approach at approx. 300-350 ft AGL. He was observed grabbing the front risers, continue the approach, pulling hard on the risers until approx. 10-15 ft AGL. At that point, he was then seen releasing the risers, and apparently either misjudged his altitude, and failed to flare, or was reaching for the rear risers, when he struck the ground hard. When the first witness reached the impact site, the victim was holding only one riser toggle. He was still alive, but later died of his injuries at a local hospital. Based on all available evidence, which included video footage of the final stages of the jump and actual landing, interviews of multiple witnesses, also jumpers, this fatality was considered strictly accidental by the local authorities. The investigation also confirmed that there had been no contact between the jumper and the aircraft, during the jump sequence. Parachute incide nt.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE VICTIM WAS ENGAGED IN HIS THIRD JUMP OF THE DAY. AS REPORTED BY MULTIPLE WITNESSES, THE JUMP STARTED OUT UNEVENTFULLY, AND HE WAS SEEN FLYING HIS PARACHUTE (WHICH HAD DEPLOYED WITHOUT INCIDENT) BACK TO THE LANDING ZONE, TURNING IN FOR FINAL AT APPROX. 600-700 FT AGL, AND STARTING A STRAIGHT-IN APPROACH AT APPROX. 300-350 FT AGL. HE WAS OBSERVED GRABBING THE FRONT RISERS, CONTINUE THE APPROACH, PULLING HARD ON THE RISERS UNTIL APPROX. 10-15 FT AGL. AT THAT POINT, HE WAS THEN SEEN RELEASING THE RISERS, AND APPARENTLY EITHER MISJUDGED HIS ALTITUDE, AND FAILED TO FLARE, OR WAS REACHING FOR THE REAR RISERS, WHEN HE STRUCK THE GROUND HARD. WHEN THE FIRST WITNESS REACHED THE IMPACT SITE, THE VICTIM WAS HOLDING ONLY ONE RISER TOGGLE. HE WAS STILL ALIVE, BUT LATER DIED OF HIS INJURIES AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL. BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE EVIDENCE, WHICH INCLUDED VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE FINAL STAGES OF THE JUMP AND ACTUAL LANDING, INTERVIEWS OF MULTIPLE WITNESSES, ALSO JUMPERS, THIS FATALITY WAS CONSIDERED STRICTLY ACCIDENTAL BY THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES. THE INVESTIGATION ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO CONTACT BETWEEN THE JUMPER AND THE AIRCRAFT, DURING THE JUMP SEQUENCE. PARACHUTE INCIDE NT.

Other reports on N9838Z · 4

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.