What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
At 15:48 eastern daylight time on August 17, 2019, an individual parachutist impacted the ground under canopy during a high speed low altitude turn at the Grand Haven municipal airpark (3GM), Grand Haven, Michigan. The parachutist was one of a number of jumpers participating in a weekend skydiving event located at the airport. Due to the high speed of the impact, the parachutist received a number of blunt force injuries that proved to be fatal.
The drop zone is located on airport property in mowed grass north of runway 09/27 and east of runway 18/36 and includes one target area that is visible from the air. The skydiving event, hosted by a local drop zone, included up to 100 skydivers. Two Cessna 208 caravan?s were used as jump aircraft on a continuous rotational schedule. Both aircraft could carry up to 14 skydivers each. It is unknown what flight of the day the parachutist departed from but all jump activity was suspended following the incident.
Witness accounts stated the parachutist was utilizing a ?wing suit? During freefall from 10,000 feet AGL. And had a fully deployed parachute at approximately 2,500 feet AGL. Witness?s also stated the parachute appeared fully controllable and the parachutist did not seem to be in any distress prior to the incident. Some witnesses believed the parachutist was going to ?swoop? The ground target and may have become ?target fixated? To the point he did not see other jumpers landing on or near the target. Video footage show a number of parachutes coming in to the target area at different altitudes, speeds, and directions. The incident parachutist can be seen with a fully deployed and controllable canopy approximately 100 feet above the surface southeast of the target. From this point, the incident parachutist appears to gain forward speed and turns into the target direction. At the same time, another parachutist is approaching the target from the east at a much slower forward speed. Within seconds the incident parachutist makes a left turn in an apparent attempt to prevent a collision between himself and the other jumper. The incident canopy remains fully inflated as it passes just under the other jumper approximately 20 feet above the target in a left turn with a high forward speed. Witnesses further state, at this point the parachutist just ?fell out of the sky?. The incident parachutist impacted the ground and rolled 10-15 feet from the initial contact location with the parachute canopy deflating and laying on top of the jumper. Off duty paramedics who were at the airport immediately responded to render first aid. Local fire and medical personnel responded within minutes where they pronounced the parachutist dead on scene.
Inspection of the main parachute canopy, container, harness, wing suit, and reserve canopy showed no pre-incident anomalies. The harness webbing and a number of main canopy suspension lines were cut by rescue personnel. The reserve canopy was out of the container but remained in its free deployment bag. The automatic activation device cutter was found not functioned, indicative that the reserve was deployed accidently during rescue operations. The parachutist?s helmet was fractured in a number of locations and it is unclear if it was removed by rescue personnel or came off during the impact sequence.
As the FAA filed it
AT 15:48 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME ON AUGUST 17, 2019, AN INDIVIDUAL PARACHUTIST IMPACTED THE GROUND UNDER CANOPY DURING A HIGH SPEED LOW ALTITUDE TURN AT THE GRAND HAVEN MUNICIPAL AIRPARK (3GM), GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN. THE PARACHUTIST WAS ONE OF A NUMBER OF JUMPERS PARTICIPATING IN A WEEKEND SKYDIVING EVENT LOCATED AT THE AIRPORT. DUE TO THE HIGH SPEED OF THE IMPACT, THE PARACHUTIST RECEIVED A NUMBER OF BLUNT FORCE INJURIES THAT PROVED TO BE FATAL.
THE DROP ZONE IS LOCATED ON AIRPORT PROPERTY IN MOWED GRASS NORTH OF RUNWAY 09/27 AND EAST OF RUNWAY 18/36 AND INCLUDES ONE TARGET AREA THAT IS VISIBLE FROM THE AIR. THE SKYDIVING EVENT, HOSTED BY A LOCAL DROP ZONE, INCLUDED UP TO 100 SKYDIVERS. TWO CESSNA 208 CARAVAN?S WERE USED AS JUMP AIRCRAFT ON A CONTINUOUS ROTATIONAL SCHEDULE. BOTH AIRCRAFT COULD CARRY UP TO 14 SKYDIVERS EACH. IT IS UNKNOWN WHAT FLIGHT OF THE DAY THE PARACHUTIST DEPARTED FROM BUT ALL JUMP ACTIVITY WAS SUSPENDED FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT.
WITNESS ACCOUNTS STATED THE PARACHUTIST WAS UTILIZING A ?WING SUIT? DURING FREEFALL FROM 10,000 FEET AGL. AND HAD A FULLY DEPLOYED PARACHUTE AT APPROXIMATELY 2,500 FEET AGL. WITNESS?S ALSO STATED THE PARACHUTE APPEARED FULLY CONTROLLABLE AND THE PARACHUTIST DID NOT SEEM TO BE IN ANY DISTRESS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. SOME WITNESSES BELIEVED THE PARACHUTIST WAS GOING TO ?SWOOP? THE GROUND TARGET AND MAY HAVE BECOME ?TARGET FIXATED? TO THE POINT HE DID NOT SEE OTHER JUMPERS LANDING ON OR NEAR THE TARGET. VIDEO FOOTAGE SHOW A NUMBER OF PARACHUTES COMING IN TO THE TARGET AREA AT DIFFERENT ALTITUDES, SPEEDS, AND DIRECTIONS. THE INCIDENT PARACHUTIST CAN BE SEEN WITH A FULLY DEPLOYED AND CONTROLLABLE CANOPY APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE SOUTHEAST OF THE TARGET. FROM THIS POINT, THE INCIDENT PARACHUTIST APPEARS TO GAIN FORWARD SPEED AND TURNS INTO THE TARGET DIRECTION. AT THE SAME TIME, ANOTHER PARACHUTIST IS APPROACHING THE TARGET FROM THE EAST AT A MUCH SLOWER FORWARD SPEED. WITHIN SECONDS THE INCIDENT PARACHUTIST MAKES A LEFT TURN IN AN APPARENT ATTEMPT TO PREVENT A COLLISION BETWEEN HIMSELF AND THE OTHER JUMPER. THE INCIDENT CANOPY REMAINS FULLY INFLATED AS IT PASSES JUST UNDER THE OTHER JUMPER APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET ABOVE THE TARGET IN A LEFT TURN WITH A HIGH FORWARD SPEED. WITNESSES FURTHER STATE, AT THIS POINT THE PARACHUTIST JUST ?FELL OUT OF THE SKY?. THE INCIDENT PARACHUTIST IMPACTED THE GROUND AND ROLLED 10-15 FEET FROM THE INITIAL CONTACT LOCATION WITH THE PARACHUTE CANOPY DEFLATING AND LAYING ON TOP OF THE JUMPER. OFF DUTY PARAMEDICS WHO WERE AT THE AIRPORT IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED TO RENDER FIRST AID. LOCAL FIRE AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL RESPONDED WITHIN MINUTES WHERE THEY PRONOUNCED THE PARACHUTIST DEAD ON SCENE.
INSPECTION OF THE MAIN PARACHUTE CANOPY, CONTAINER, HARNESS, WING SUIT, AND RESERVE CANOPY SHOWED NO PRE-INCIDENT ANOMALIES. THE HARNESS WEBBING AND A NUMBER OF MAIN CANOPY SUSPENSION LINES WERE CUT BY RESCUE PERSONNEL. THE RESERVE CANOPY WAS OUT OF THE CONTAINER BUT REMAINED IN ITS FREE DEPLOYMENT BAG. THE AUTOMATIC ACTIVATION DEVICE CUTTER WAS FOUND NOT FUNCTIONED, INDICATIVE THAT THE RESERVE WAS DEPLOYED ACCIDENTLY DURING RESCUE OPERATIONS. THE PARACHUTIST?S HELMET WAS FRACTURED IN A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS AND IT IS UNCLEAR IF IT WAS REMOVED BY RESCUE PERSONNEL OR CAME OFF DURING THE IMPACT SEQUENCE.