What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Normal exit from aircraft and freefall, the tandem main canopy deploys into a minor twist of the main risers, which quickly resolves itself, as the main canopy finishes its deployment. The canopy, after deployment, immediately enters into a spiraling/diving right turn caused by a tension knot or knots on the right side of the parachute along the outboard parachute cells, including the exterior sidewall of the chute along the stabilizer. The right turn was fast enough to keep the tandem pair horizontal to the ground for the majority of the canopy descent and never changed direction to turn to the left or fly straight. Tandem master fails to execute proper emergency procedures to release the main and to deploy the reserve which at this point both his arms and hands were free and uninhibited to do so and both handles were in place and accessible for use. The tandem master then attempts to manipulate the main parachute by grasping onto the main control line toggles in what appears to be an attempt to counter the turn of the main parachute and arrest the spiraling turn. This action was unsuccessful . This action also occurs at an altitude (based on terrain visible below) that was high enough to still execute emergency procedures. At this point it appears (based on reflection views of the tandem masters visor) that the tandem master encounters an entanglement between his left control line (above the yellow toggle) and his left handed camera mount used for filming his tandem skydive. He then attempts, based on his body position of his left and right arms and from reflections in his visor, to release his camera set up from the main control line. He continues this for an extended period of time while spiraling down to an altitude well below his final emergency procedure decision making altitude of 3000 ft AGL. When he finally frees himself of the entanglement between his camera and his control line he is conservatively at 0R below 1000 ft AGL, based again on visual reference to the ground below. The hand camera on the tandem master was a single velcro band just above his wrist which could have been released instead of untangling the control line to free himself. The tandem master then initiates a release of the reserve parachute at or below 240 ft AGL, or 75 seconds under canopy, by releasing the rsl, reserve static line. This action began a reserve deployment and partial separation of the main canopy, left riser, at the same time, at an altitude FAR to low for a successful reserve deployment. This action actually sped up the descent where the jumpers were fatally injured from impact at 78 seconds from initial deployment of the parachute.
As the FAA filed it
NORMAL EXIT FROM AIRCRAFT AND FREEFALL, THE TANDEM MAIN CANOPY DEPLOYS INTO A MINOR TWIST OF THE MAIN RISERS, WHICH QUICKLY RESOLVES ITSELF, AS THE MAIN CANOPY FINISHES ITS DEPLOYMENT. THE CANOPY, AFTER DEPLOYMENT, IMMEDIATELY ENTERS INTO A SPIRALING/DIVING RIGHT TURN CAUSED BY A TENSION KNOT OR KNOTS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PARACHUTE ALONG THE OUTBOARD PARACHUTE CELLS, INCLUDING THE EXTERIOR SIDEWALL OF THE CHUTE ALONG THE STABILIZER. THE RIGHT TURN WAS FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP THE TANDEM PAIR HORIZONTAL TO THE GROUND FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE CANOPY DESCENT AND NEVER CHANGED DIRECTION TO TURN TO THE LEFT OR FLY STRAIGHT. TANDEM MASTER FAILS TO EXECUTE PROPER EMERGENCY PROCEDURES TO RELEASE THE MAIN AND TO DEPLOY THE RESERVE WHICH AT THIS POINT BOTH HIS ARMS AND HANDS WERE FREE AND UNINHIBITED TO DO SO AND BOTH HANDLES WERE IN PLACE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR USE. THE TANDEM MASTER THEN ATTEMPTS TO MANIPULATE THE MAIN PARACHUTE BY GRASPING ONTO THE MAIN CONTROL LINE TOGGLES IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO COUNTER THE TURN OF THE MAIN PARACHUTE AND ARREST THE SPIRALING TURN. THIS ACTION WAS UNSUCCESSFUL . THIS ACTION ALSO OCCURS AT AN ALTITUDE (BASED ON TERRAIN VISIBLE BELOW) THAT WAS HIGH ENOUGH TO STILL EXECUTE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES. AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS (BASED ON REFLECTION VIEWS OF THE TANDEM MASTERS VISOR) THAT THE TANDEM MASTER ENCOUNTERS AN ENTANGLEMENT BETWEEN HIS LEFT CONTROL LINE (ABOVE THE YELLOW TOGGLE) AND HIS LEFT HANDED CAMERA MOUNT USED FOR FILMING HIS TANDEM SKYDIVE. HE THEN ATTEMPTS, BASED ON HIS BODY POSITION OF HIS LEFT AND RIGHT ARMS AND FROM REFLECTIONS IN HIS VISOR, TO RELEASE HIS CAMERA SET UP FROM THE MAIN CONTROL LINE. HE CONTINUES THIS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME WHILE SPIRALING DOWN TO AN ALTITUDE WELL BELOW HIS FINAL EMERGENCY PROCEDURE DECISION MAKING ALTITUDE OF 3000 FT AGL. WHEN HE FINALLY FREES HIMSELF OF THE ENTANGLEMENT BETWEEN HIS CAMERA AND HIS CONTROL LINE HE IS CONSERVATIVELY AT 0R BELOW 1000 FT AGL, BASED AGAIN ON VISUAL REFERENCE TO THE GROUND BELOW. THE HAND CAMERA ON THE TANDEM MASTER WAS A SINGLE VELCRO BAND JUST ABOVE HIS WRIST WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED INSTEAD OF UNTANGLING THE CONTROL LINE TO FREE HIMSELF. THE TANDEM MASTER THEN INITIATES A RELEASE OF THE RESERVE PARACHUTE AT OR BELOW 240 FT AGL, OR 75 SECONDS UNDER CANOPY, BY RELEASING THE RSL, RESERVE STATIC LINE. THIS ACTION BEGAN A RESERVE DEPLOYMENT AND PARTIAL SEPARATION OF THE MAIN CANOPY, LEFT RISER, AT THE SAME TIME, AT AN ALTITUDE FAR TO LOW FOR A SUCCESSFUL RESERVE DEPLOYMENT. THIS ACTION ACTUALLY SPED UP THE DESCENT WHERE THE JUMPERS WERE FATALLY INJURED FROM IMPACT AT 78 SECONDS FROM INITIAL DEPLOYMENT OF THE PARACHUTE.