OpenAirDocs.org

20070528009609I

Incident · No damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Aircraft · Taft, CA · May 28, 2007

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
May 28, 2007 · 15:30 local
Place
Taft, CA
Phase of flight
Parachute Jumping
Operating rules
Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Damage
No damage
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) A skydiver suffered fatal injuries following apparent equipment malfunction after parachute deployment. Witnesses observed the main chute open at approximately 2500' AGL followed by the skydiver attempting to release it for unknown reasons. Thereafter, the reserve chute was observed to deploy and open. It appeared to tangle with the main chute which was still connected to the skydiver. The skydiver was then observed to rotate under both chutes and appeared to be out of control. The reserve chute was observed to collapse at an approximate altitude of 75' to 100' AGL. The victim landed just outside the airport boundary (sw) in a ditch. Witnesses stated that the shrouds of the reserve chute had been cut and found the victim's break away knife near his remains. A jump master who witnessed the incident speculated that the victim was attempting to cut away from the main chute and cut his reserve lines by mistake. The victim was an experienced skydiver who had packed his own main chute prior to the jump. The reserve chute contained a card indicating it had been packed i/a/w 14 CFR 105.43. The cause of the main chute malfunction is undetermined.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) A SKYDIVER SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES FOLLOWING APPARENT EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION AFTER PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE MAIN CHUTE OPEN AT APPROXIMATELY 2500' AGL FOLLOWED BY THE SKYDIVER ATTEMPTING TO RELEASE IT FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. THEREAFTER, THE RESERVE CHUTE WAS OBSERVED TO DEPLOY AND OPEN. IT APPEARED TO TANGLE WITH THE MAIN CHUTE WHICH WAS STILL CONNECTED TO THE SKYDIVER. THE SKYDIVER WAS THEN OBSERVED TO ROTATE UNDER BOTH CHUTES AND APPEARED TO BE OUT OF CONTROL. THE RESERVE CHUTE WAS OBSERVED TO COLLAPSE AT AN APPROXIMATE ALTITUDE OF 75' TO 100' AGL. THE VICTIM LANDED JUST OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY (SW) IN A DITCH. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE SHROUDS OF THE RESERVE CHUTE HAD BEEN CUT AND FOUND THE VICTIM'S BREAK AWAY KNIFE NEAR HIS REMAINS. A JUMP MASTER WHO WITNESSED THE INCIDENT SPECULATED THAT THE VICTIM WAS ATTEMPTING TO CUT AWAY FROM THE MAIN CHUTE AND CUT HIS RESERVE LINES BY MISTAKE. THE VICTIM WAS AN EXPERIENCED SKYDIVER WHO HAD PACKED HIS OWN MAIN CHUTE PRIOR TO THE JUMP. THE RESERVE CHUTE CONTAINED A CARD INDICATING IT HAD BEEN PACKED I/A/W 14 CFR 105.43. THE CAUSE OF THE MAIN CHUTE MALFUNCTION IS UNDETERMINED.