# Incident 20051029029619I: Thomaston, GA, October 29, 2005

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 29, 2005, 16:30 local time
- Place: Thomaston, GA
- Airport: Thomaston-Upson County Airport
- Damage: Damage unknown
- Phase of flight: Parachute Jumping
- Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
- Location: 32.9550° N, 84.2641° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at THOMASTON-UPSON COUNTY (OPN), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.9550&lon=-84.2641&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/20051029029619I

## Narrative

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

(-23) DURING PARACHUTE JUMPING ACTIVITY, THE TANDEM JUMPER WAS FATALLY INJURED WHEN HE FELL OUT OF THE TANDEM HARNESS AT APPROXIMATELY 10,000 FEET MSL. THE TANDEM JUMPER WAS A PARAPLEGIC; HE DID NOT HAVE USE OF HIS LEGS. THIS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCIDENT BECAUSE HE WAS UNABLE TO KEEP HIS LEGS TOGETHER TO HELP HIM STAY IN THE HARNESS. A VIDEO RECORDING OF THE JUMP SEQUENCE INDICATES THAT THE TANDEM HARNESS WAS VERY LOOSELY FITTED AROUND THE TANDEM JUMPER'S LEGS AND BUTTOCKS, PRIOR TO EXITING THE AIRCRAFT. THIS IMPROPER FITTING MAY HAVE LED TO THE INCIDENT. UPON EXIT FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND DURING INITIAL STABILIZATION, THE TANDEM JUMPER IMMEDIATELY ASSUMED A "BUTT-LOW" POSITION IN THE SADDLE OF THE HARNESS. WHEN THE TANDEM JUMP INSTRUCTOR ACTIVATED HIS MAIN PARACHUTE, THE OPENING SHOCK CAUSED THE TANDEM JUMPER TO FALL OUT OF THE HARNESS. THE TANDEM JUMPER PLUMMETED THROUGH THE TREES AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE TANDEM JUMPER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES.

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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