# Incident 20151018017539I: Lockheed 18-50, Houston, TX, October 18, 2015

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 18, 2015, 13:05 local time
- Place: Houston, TX
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.7633° N, 95.3633° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Houston, TX, within about 14 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.7633&lon=-95.3633&mi=10
- Aircraft: N60JT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N60JT) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Lockheed 18-50 (registry code 5261640, https://openairdocs.org/model/lockheed-18-50) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: LOCKHEED 18-50
- Reported engine: WRIGHT R-1820-66
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20151018017539I

## Narrative

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

WHILE CONDUCTING A STATIC LINE PARACHUTE JUMP FROM A LOCKHEED L-18 AT THE WINGS OVER HOUSTON AIRSHOW, THE JUMPER EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND DRIFTED OVER AND INTO THE SPECTATORS BEFORE LANDING ON A SMALL VENDER CANOPY.

THIS PARACHUTE DEMONSTRATION WAS CONDUCTED BY THE AMERICAN AIRPOWER HERITAGE FLYING MUSEUM OF DALLAS TEXAS. THIS WAS A DEMONSTRATION JUMP RECREATING TACTICAL STATIC LINE PARACHUTING AS USED DURING WORLD WAR II.

A IN A PREVIOUS DEMONSTRATION AT ELLINGTON FIELD DURING THIS AIR SHOW, THE AIRCRAFT MADE A PASS OVER THE DROP ZONE AND THREW OUT TWO WIND STREAMERS TO PREDICT THE WIND. UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS DEMONSTRATION, THERE WAS A DELAY OF MORE THAN 15 MINUTES BETWEEN THE STREAMERS AND THE JUMP ACTIVITY TO ALLOW FOR OTHER AIR SHOW EVENTS. DURING TIME BETWEEN THE STREAMERS AND THE PARACHUTE JUMP, THE WINDS ON THE SURFACE WERE CONSTANTLY MONITORED BY BOTH THE TOWER AND THE AIR SHOW AIR BOSS. BASED UPON THE WIND STREAMER INFORMATION THE AIRCRAFT WAS ALIGNED WITH THE DROP ZONE WITH THE APPROPRIATE OFFSET FOR THE WIND DRIFT CORRECTIONS. THE JUMPMASTER ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT THEN MADE A COMMAND DECISION AND ASKED THE PILOT TO OFFSET AN ADDITIONAL 300 TO 400 YARDS UPWIND.

COMMUNICATIONS FLOW FOR THIS ACTIVITY WAS FROM THE DROP ZONE SAFETY OFFICER (DZSO) TO THE AIR BOSS TO THE AIRCRAFT PIC TO THE JUMP MASTER AND THEN TO THE JUMPER. WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS OVER THE DROP ZONE, THE AIR BOSS DETERMINED THAT THE WINDS ON THE SURFACE EXCEEDED THE SAFE LIMITS FOR THE WINGS OVER HOUSTON SAFETY STANDARDS AND THOSE OF AMERICAN AIRPOWER HERITAGE FLYING MUSEUM. THERE WERE NO WINDS ALOFT MEASUREMENT TAKEN OTHER THAN THE STREAMERS FROM THE FIRST PASS. AT THE EXACT MOMENT THAT THE PIC ILLUMINATED THE GREEN JUMP LIGHT, THE JUMPMASTER COMMANDED THE JUMPER TO EXIT. AS THIS OCCURRED, THE AIR BOSS INFORMED THE AIRCRAFT PIC THE WINDS ON THE SURFACE WERE TOO HIGH AND TO NOT JUMP. THE PIC ILLUMINATED THE RED LIGHT, THE JUMPMASTER PREVENTED THE SECOND JUMPER FROM EXITING THE AIRCRAFT AND THE STATIC LINE DEMONSTRATION JUMP WAS HALTED.

DURING THE PARACHUTE DESCENT, WIND WAS PUSHING THE PARACHUTIST INTO THE CROWD.  THE PARACHUTIST KEPT THE PARACHUTE FACING INTO THE WIND REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF DRIFT OVER THE DROP ZONE AND MADE CONSTANT CORRECTIONS IN AN ATTEMPT TO LAND ON THE DROP ZONE. WHEN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THIS WAS NO LONGER POSSIBLE, THE PARACHUTIST MANEUVERED THE PARACHUTE PAST THE FRONT OF THE SHOW LINE WHERE THERE WERE A LARGE NUMBER OF SEATED SPECTATORS INTO A LESS POPULATED AREA NEAR A FEW VENDING TENTS. THE PARACHUTIST LANDED ON THE GROUND BETWEEN TWO TENTS. THIS WAS A DELIBERATE ACTION TO AVOID LANDING ON A LARGE NUMBER OF SEATED SPECTATORS THAT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF HIS WAY.  HIS ACTION MAY VERY WELL HAVE PREVENTED SEVERE INJURIES TO SEVERAL PEOPLE.

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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