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20061231029719I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Aircraft · Eloy, AZ · December 31, 2006

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 31, 2006 · 13:00 local
Place
Eloy, AZ
Phase of flight
Parachute Jumping
Operating rules
Parachute jumping (Part 105)
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) The jumper made a freefall jump at Eloy, AZ. He wore a helmet mounted video camera which filmed the complete event. Review of the videotape reveals that his canopy deployed normally and he began turning maneuvers during canopy descent. As he approached the landing zone, he was traveling to the north, he began a hard left hand front riser turn. This turn was executed thru a full 450 degrees. At that point the turn was arrested; then a rapid left hand turn of 180 degrees was executed. This second turn was executed so low to the ground that there was an initial slowing of the vertical descent rate, but it was still moving fast when the jumper hit the ground. Impact with the ground fatally injured the jumper. Interviews with witnesses result in the determination that the jumper had executed a left hand front riser spiral turn in his approach to landing, when he descended into the flight path of a second jumper who was below him on a straight in final. The second rapid turn by the jumper was in response to seeing the second jumper, whom he attempted to keep from hitting. The second jumper never saw him, but felt something passing her legs.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE JUMPER MADE A FREEFALL JUMP AT ELOY, AZ. HE WORE A HELMET MOUNTED VIDEO CAMERA WHICH FILMED THE COMPLETE EVENT. REVIEW OF THE VIDEOTAPE REVEALS THAT HIS CANOPY DEPLOYED NORMALLY AND HE BEGAN TURNING MANEUVERS DURING CANOPY DESCENT. AS HE APPROACHED THE LANDING ZONE, HE WAS TRAVELING TO THE NORTH, HE BEGAN A HARD LEFT HAND FRONT RISER TURN. THIS TURN WAS EXECUTED THRU A FULL 450 DEGREES. AT THAT POINT THE TURN WAS ARRESTED; THEN A RAPID LEFT HAND TURN OF 180 DEGREES WAS EXECUTED. THIS SECOND TURN WAS EXECUTED SO LOW TO THE GROUND THAT THERE WAS AN INITIAL SLOWING OF THE VERTICAL DESCENT RATE, BUT IT WAS STILL MOVING FAST WHEN THE JUMPER HIT THE GROUND. IMPACT WITH THE GROUND FATALLY INJURED THE JUMPER. INTERVIEWS WITH WITNESSES RESULT IN THE DETERMINATION THAT THE JUMPER HAD EXECUTED A LEFT HAND FRONT RISER SPIRAL TURN IN HIS APPROACH TO LANDING, WHEN HE DESCENDED INTO THE FLIGHT PATH OF A SECOND JUMPER WHO WAS BELOW HIM ON A STRAIGHT IN FINAL. THE SECOND RAPID TURN BY THE JUMPER WAS IN RESPONSE TO SEEING THE SECOND JUMPER, WHOM HE ATTEMPTED TO KEEP FROM HITTING. THE SECOND JUMPER NEVER SAW HIM, BUT FELT SOMETHING PASSING HER LEGS.