20090102007249I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Aircraft · Sebastian, FL · January 2, 2009

Date: January 2, 2009 · 13:10 local
Place: Sebastian, FL
Airport: Sebastian Municipal
Phase of flight: Other, Specify
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: NONE
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 0 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

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.

The skydiver separated from his parachute harness/container assembly shortly after deploying the main parachute. He then fell several thousand feet to the ground, and was fatally injured when he impacted a paved road just outside the airport perimeter fence. The parachute and harness/container assembly came to rest hanging on power lines about 1,000 feet away. Investigation revealed evidence indicating that the skydiver did not have the parachute leg harnesses secured around his legs. He was wearing a wing suit during the jump and the unsecured harnesses were apparently tucked into the suit through harness openings in the rear waist of the suit, but he had failed to put his legs through the harnesses and tighten them while donning the wing suit. This was reportedly one of the skydiver's first few jumps using a wing suit. His reported total experience consisted of 110 jumps since he began skydiving in 2007. (See attached supplemental statement for additional investigation details)

As the FAA filed it

THE SKYDIVER SEPARATED FROM HIS PARACHUTE HARNESS/CONTAINER ASSEMBLY SHORTLY AFTER DEPLOYING THE MAIN PARACHUTE. HE THEN FELL SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET TO THE GROUND, AND WAS FATALLY INJURED WHEN HE IMPACTED A PAVED ROAD JUST OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT PERIMETER FENCE. THE PARACHUTE AND HARNESS/CONTAINER ASSEMBLY CAME TO REST HANGING ON POWER LINES ABOUT 1,000 FEET AWAY. INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE INDICATING THAT THE SKYDIVER DID NOT HAVE THE PARACHUTE LEG HARNESSES SECURED AROUND HIS LEGS. HE WAS WEARING A WING SUIT DURING THE JUMP AND THE UNSECURED HARNESSES WERE APPARENTLY TUCKED INTO THE SUIT THROUGH HARNESS OPENINGS IN THE REAR WAIST OF THE SUIT, BUT HE HAD FAILED TO PUT HIS LEGS THROUGH THE HARNESSES AND TIGHTEN THEM WHILE DONNING THE WING SUIT. THIS WAS REPORTEDLY ONE OF THE SKYDIVER'S FIRST FEW JUMPS USING A WING SUIT. HIS REPORTED TOTAL EXPERIENCE CONSISTED OF 110 JUMPS SINCE HE BEGAN SKYDIVING IN 2007. (SEE ATTACHED SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT FOR ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATION DETAILS)