What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Multiple skydivers left aircraft and were farther away from landing area than were able to travel back under canopy to land. One of the other skydivers on the load was able to land in a spot located on an access road between a small hanger, a set of power lines, and a chain link fence corner. privacy data omitted Attempted to follow the first skydiver into the same landing area. In doing so he miscalculated his final turn to landing and landing flare. He impacted the ground at a high rate of speed. His feet landed in a small depression in the roadway. Because of the forward momentum of the canopy, his legs broke and his body kept moving forward and his body became airborne again for approximately 20 feet. When he landed for the second time it was on his head. This landing resulted in severe head trauma and multiple breaks to the neck. There were no malfunctions to the equipment that privacy data omitted was using. The highly wing loaded canopy had a greater rate of descent because of the turns initiated to get into the landing area. Also, the flare for landing was initiated too late to sufficiently bleed off excess speed and sink of the maneuvers.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) MULTIPLE SKYDIVERS LEFT AIRCRAFT AND WERE FARTHER AWAY FROM LANDING AREA THAN WERE ABLE TO TRAVEL BACK UNDER CANOPY TO LAND. ONE OF THE OTHER SKYDIVERS ON THE LOAD WAS ABLE TO LAND IN A SPOT LOCATED ON AN ACCESS ROAD BETWEEN A SMALL HANGER, A SET OF POWER LINES, AND A CHAIN LINK FENCE CORNER. ^PRIVACY DATA^ ATTEMPTED TO FOLLOW THE FIRST SKYDIVER INTO THE SAME LANDING AREA. IN DOING SO HE MISCALCULATED HIS FINAL TURN TO LANDING AND LANDING FLARE. HE IMPACTED THE GROUND AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. HIS FEET LANDED IN A SMALL DEPRESSION IN THE ROADWAY. BECAUSE OF THE FORWARD MOMENTUM OF THE CANOPY, HIS LEGS BROKE AND HIS BODY KEPT MOVING FORWARD AND HIS BODY BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET. WHEN HE LANDED FOR THE SECOND TIME IT WAS ON HIS HEAD. THIS LANDING RESULTED IN SEVERE HEAD TRAUMA AND MULTIPLE BREAKS TO THE NECK. THERE WERE NO MALFUNCTIONS TO THE EQUIPMENT THAT ^PRIVACY DATA^ WAS USING. THE HIGHLY WING LOADED CANOPY HAD A GREATER RATE OF DESCENT BECAUSE OF THE TURNS INITIATED TO GET INTO THE LANDING AREA. ALSO, THE FLARE FOR LANDING WAS INITIATED TOO LATE TO SUFFICIENTLY BLEED OFF EXCESS SPEED AND SINK OF THE MANEUVERS.
Other reports on N204BD · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.