# Incident 20080913848199I: Jonesville, NC, September 13, 2008 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 13, 2008, 11:58 local time - Place: Jonesville, NC - Airport: Swan Creek - Damage: No damage - Phase of flight: Parachute Jumping - Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105) - Location: 36.2028° N, 80.8677° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at SWAN CREEK (78A), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2028&lon=-80.8677&mi=10 - Aircraft: NONE (not matched to a registry record) - Fatal injuries: 2 - Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080913848199I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) ARRIVED ON SCENE AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30 PM. MET WITH YADKIN COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT DETECTIVE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE DETECTIVES GAVE ME WHAT INFORMATION THEY HAD AND INTRODUCED ME TO THE AIRPORT OPERATOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND PARACHUTE PACKER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. I ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY EYE WITNESSES. THE DETECTIVES GAVE ME THE NAMES OF MICHAEL VORDO^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^TIM WOOD^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR. BILLY COCKRELL^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^MR. COCKRELL^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT I WOULD NEED TO SEE THE PACK AND PARACHUTES. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD THE PACK AND EMERGENCY PARACHUTE, BUT THE MAIN PARACHUTE WAS IN THE TREES 100 YARDS AWAY FROM WHERE THE PARACHUTIST HIT THE GROUND. I ASKED THE DETECTIVES TO ESCORT ME TO THE SITE WHERE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE IMPACT SITE WAS IN THE FRONT YARD OF A LOCAL RESIDENT, WHO THE DETECTIVES OBTAINED PERMISSION FOR OUR PRESENCE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD BEEN REMOVED BY EMS PERSONNEL PRIOR TO MY ARRIVAL. THE DETECTIVES ESCORTED ME TO THE WOODS BEHIND THE LOCAL RESIDENTS HOUSE WHERE THE MAIN PARACHUTE WAS LOCATED. I PHOTOGRAPHED THE MAIN PARACHUTE LOCATIONS IN THE TREES AND IDENTIFICATION DATA ON THE PARACHUTE. I RETURNED TO MEET WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ I INFORMED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT I WOULD NEED TO HAVE THE PACK, MAIN AND EMERGENCY PARACHUTE LAID OUT FOR INSPECTION. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ COMPLIED WITH MY REQUEST BUT INFORMED ME OF THE BIOHAZARD ASSOCIATED WITH THE PACK. I REQUESTED A COPY OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PARACHUTE RIGGERS CERTIFICATE AND THE PACK CARD. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PROVIDED ME WITH A COPY OF THE PACK CARD AND HIS LICENSE. I INFORMED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT I WOULD NEED A WRITTEN STATEMENT FROM HIM ADDRESSING THE ACCIDENT. I NEXT REQUESTED THAT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REVIEW WITH ME FROM START TO FINISH THE PACK AND PARACHUTE PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ACCIDENT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ EXPLAINED THAT BASED ON THE MAIN PARACHUTE LOCATION AND VIDEO, THE MAIN PARACHUTE HAD BEEN CUT AWAY. IN ADDITION HE POINTED OUT THE THE CYPRESS EMERGENCY PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM HAD ACTIVATED AUTOMATICALLY; HE POINTED OUT THE CUT WITNESS STRING ON THE PACK. THIS WAS PHOTOGRAPHED. I ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHY THE MAIN PARACHUTE DID NOT OPEN PROPERLY. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE MAIN PARACHUTE APPEARED ON THE VIDEO AS DEPLOYING PROPERLY, BUT THE EMERGENCY PARACHUTE AUTOMATICALLY DEPLOYED DUE TO SPEED OF 78 MPH AND ALTITUDE OF 1900’ WHICH MIGHT EXPLAIN WHY THE MAIN PARACHUTE WAS CUT AWAY. I ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO EXPLAIN HOW THE CYPRES (CYBERNETIC PARACHUTE RELEASE SYSTEM) AUTO DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM WORKED. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PROVIDED AND EXPLANATION STATING THAT AT AN ALTITUDE OF 1900’ AND SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 78 MPH, THE CUTTER IS ACTIVATED AND DEPLOYS THE EMERGENCY PARACHUTE. I NEXT REQUESTED THAT THE CYPRES AUTO DEPLOYMENT UNIT BE REMOVED FROM THE PACK SO THAT I COULD SEND IT OUT FOR EVALUATION TO DETERMINE WHAT DATA MAY BE AVAILABLE ON THE UNIT FOR ANALYSIS. I NEXT ASKED WHY THE EMERGENCY PARACHUTE DID NOT DEPLOY PROPERLY. I WAS INFORMED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT BASED ON WHAT HE SAW AT THE IMPACT SITE, IT APPEARS THAT TWO OF THE EMERGENCY PARACHUTE LINES WERE ENTANGLED WITH THE SKY HOOK LANYARD. I ASKED WHY THE SKY HOOK LANYARD WAS ENTANGELED WITH THE TWO EMERGENCY PARACHUTE LINES. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT THE ENTANGLEMENT MAY HAVE OCCURRED DUE TO THE FACT THE TANDEM JUMPERS WERE IN A VERTICAL POSITION WITH THE MAIN PARACHUTE DEPLOYING DURING THE EMERGENCY PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT. IN ADDITION, THE LATE DEPLOYMENT OF THE MAIN PARACHUTE APPEARS TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ENTANGLEMENT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT IF THEY HAD BEEN IN THE HORIZONTAL POSITION WITH MORE ALTITUDE THE ENTANGLEMENT MIGHT NOT HAVE OCCURRED. THE PACK, EMERGENCY AND MAIN PARACHUTE WERE PHOTOGRAPHED. I ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IF HE COULD QUARANTINE THE PACK, MAIN AND EMERGENCY PARACHUTE UNTIL MY INVESTIGATION WAS COMPLETE. I STAYED ON SCENE UNTIL ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ COMPLETED HIS WRITTEN STATEMENT. I REQUESTED THAT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PROVIDE A COMPUTER COPY TO ME THROUGH E-MAIL LATER. DEPARTED SCENE AT APPROXIMATLEY 6:30 PM. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. 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