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20050821026189I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Cessna 182A · Marana, AZ · August 21, 2005

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 21, 2005 · 15:45 local
Place
Marana, AZ
Airport
Marana Northwest Regnl Airport
Phase of flight
Parachute Jumping
Operating rules
Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Aircraft
N5965B
Reported as
Cessna 182A
Fatal injuries
1
N5965BRegistered now · Cessna 182AS/N 33965 · Built 1956Airframe modelCessna 182AEngine modelContinental O-470 seriesReciprocating

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) Student skydiver on his second static line jump departed the aircraft with the intention to perform a practice "dummy ripcord" pull during the static line portion of the jump. He exited the aircraft at 3,000 ft AGL and exhibited good body position upon release from aircraft. The static line played out and began normal deployment of main canopy. At approximately 2 seconds into the jump the student reached for the "dummy ripcord." He grabbed the main canopy cut-away handle instead of the "dummy ripcord" and pulled it. As the jumper fell away from the aircraft, the main canopy lines became fully extended. The jumpers body began rotating/flipping backwards, and the main canopy release mechanism disengaged the canopy lines from the harness. This allowed the jumper to fall away from the main canopy. The reserve static line attached to the main canopy lines pulled the reserve pilot chute from the harness/container. The reserve pilot chute deployed the reserve bridle cord and attached "free bag". Because of the jumper's body rotation and position in relation to the reserve bridle cord deployment, his right foot became entangled with the bridle cord as it was extending. This entanglement caused the reserve canopy to halt in its deployment sequence. The bridle cord was caught at a length which did not allow the reserve canopy to be extracted from the harness/container sufficiently to clear from the reserve "free bag". The jumper impacted the ground with the reserve bridle cord entangled with his leg. The jumper died from injuries sustained when he impacted with the ground.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) STUDENT SKYDIVER ON HIS SECOND STATIC LINE JUMP DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE INTENTION TO PERFORM A PRACTICE "DUMMY RIPCORD" PULL DURING THE STATIC LINE PORTION OF THE JUMP. HE EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AT 3,000 FT AGL AND EXHIBITED GOOD BODY POSITION UPON RELEASE FROM AIRCRAFT. THE STATIC LINE PLAYED OUT AND BEGAN NORMAL DEPLOYMENT OF MAIN CANOPY. AT APPROXIMATELY 2 SECONDS INTO THE JUMP THE STUDENT REACHED FOR THE "DUMMY RIPCORD." HE GRABBED THE MAIN CANOPY CUT-AWAY HANDLE INSTEAD OF THE "DUMMY RIPCORD" AND PULLED IT. AS THE JUMPER FELL AWAY FROM THE AIRCRAFT, THE MAIN CANOPY LINES BECAME FULLY EXTENDED. THE JUMPERS BODY BEGAN ROTATING/FLIPPING BACKWARDS, AND THE MAIN CANOPY RELEASE MECHANISM DISENGAGED THE CANOPY LINES FROM THE HARNESS. THIS ALLOWED THE JUMPER TO FALL AWAY FROM THE MAIN CANOPY. THE RESERVE STATIC LINE ATTACHED TO THE MAIN CANOPY LINES PULLED THE RESERVE PILOT CHUTE FROM THE HARNESS/CONTAINER. THE RESERVE PILOT CHUTE DEPLOYED THE RESERVE BRIDLE CORD AND ATTACHED "FREE BAG". BECAUSE OF THE JUMPER'S BODY ROTATION AND POSITION IN RELATION TO THE RESERVE BRIDLE CORD DEPLOYMENT, HIS RIGHT FOOT BECAME ENTANGLED WITH THE BRIDLE CORD AS IT WAS EXTENDING. THIS ENTANGLEMENT CAUSED THE RESERVE CANOPY TO HALT IN ITS DEPLOYMENT SEQUENCE. THE BRIDLE CORD WAS CAUGHT AT A LENGTH WHICH DID NOT ALLOW THE RESERVE CANOPY TO BE EXTRACTED FROM THE HARNESS/CONTAINER SUFFICIENTLY TO CLEAR FROM THE RESERVE "FREE BAG". THE JUMPER IMPACTED THE GROUND WITH THE RESERVE BRIDLE CORD ENTANGLED WITH HIS LEG. THE JUMPER DIED FROM INJURIES SUSTAINED WHEN HE IMPACTED WITH THE GROUND.