# Incident 20121028025009I: Chester, SC, October 28, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 28, 2012, 10:15 local time
- Place: Chester, SC
- Airport: Chester Catawba Regional
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
- Location: 34.7893° N, 81.1958° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHESTER CATAWBA RGNL (DCM), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7893&lon=-81.1958&mi=10
- Aircraft: NONE (not matched to a registry record)
- People aboard: 0
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121028025009I

## Narrative

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

THE PARACHUTIST WAS PARTICIPATING IN A PARACHUTE JUMP WITH OTHER PARACHUTISTS INTO A DROP ZONE. THE JUMP COMMENCED AT APPROXIMATELY 6000 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL FROM A CESSNA 208 CARAVAN .APPROXIMAELY 20 SECONDS FROM THE GROUND, THE PARACHUTIST EXECUTED A HIGH PERFORMANCE, SPIRALING MANEUVER KNOWN AS "SWOOPING"  TO LOSE ALTITUDE AND INCREASE PARACHUTE CANOPY SPEED.  HOWEVER,THE MANEUVER WAS EXECUTED AT AN ALTITUDE THAT WOULD NOT ALLOW THE PARACHUTIST TO ARREST THE DESCENT RATE OF THE PARACHUTE.  THE SUBSEQUENT ACCELERATED VERTICAL IMPACT OF THE PARACHUTE INTO THE TERRAIN RESULTED IN  FATAL INJURIES TO THE PARACHUTIST.PURSUANT TO FAA ORDER 8020.11(C), THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS ALSO TO BE STIPULATED IN THE NARRATIVE:A) FATALLY INJURED PARACHUTIST: MR. CLARENCE HUGGINS, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (CHESTER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, CHESTER COUNTY, SC).B)UNITED STATES PARACHUTE ASSOCIATION (USPA) LICENSED PARACHUTIST #174977, ORIGINALLY LICENSED 09/18/2001.  RENEWED ON  09/18/2012 AND INDICATED MORE THAN 2100 JUMPS.  THE PARACHUTIST HELD NO INSTRUCTOR RATINGS.C)AFFILIATED JUMP SCHOOL - SKYDIVE CAROLINA LOCATED AT THE CHESTER CATAWBA REGIONAL AIRPORT, CHESTER, SC (DCM). D)THE MAIN PARACHUTE WAS IDENTIFIED AS A RAM AIR GLIDING PARACHUTE MANUFACTURED BY PERFORMANCE DESIGNS; THE MODEL WAS A KATANA.  THE RESERVE CHUTE WAS IDENTIFIED AS A PERFORMANCE DYNAMICS MODEL PD 160R AND WAS PACKED ON 05/04/2012 IN ACCORDANCE WITH CFR 105.43(B)(1).  ACCORDING TO SENIOR PARACHUTE RIGGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.  VIDEO DOCUMENATION CONFIRMS THE RESERVE CHUTE WAS NOT UTILIZED.  ADDITIONALLY, THE MAIN PARACHUTE OF THIS SINGLE HARNESS DUAL PARACHUTE ASSEMBLY WAS NOT AN APPROVED PARACHUTE.  HOWEVER, THE RESERVE PARACHUTE, ITS COMPONENTS, THE HARNESS, AND THE RIPCORD WERE APPROVED UNDER TSO C23D.

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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