20201017019759I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Aircraft · Elizabethtown, KY · October 17, 2020

Date: October 17, 2020 · 18:00 local
Place: Elizabethtown, KY
Airport: Addington Field
Phase of flight: Unknown
Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: NONE
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0

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.

According to statements, at 5000' MSL, static-line instructor put out static-line student. Instructor quickly exited aircraft, who was followed by a coach, then the victim. Victim's altimeter recorded; exit altitude of 3900' AGL, deployment altitude of 2680' AGL, 10 second freefall.

Multiple witnesses reported, with written statements, jumper initiated an abrupt (unrecoverable) turn too low to the ground. Jumper and canopy impacted the ground simultaneously. Victim was an experienced jumper.

As the FAA filed it

ACCORDING TO STATEMENTS, AT 5000' MSL, STATIC-LINE INSTRUCTOR PUT OUT STATIC-LINE STUDENT. INSTRUCTOR QUICKLY EXITED AIRCRAFT, WHO WAS FOLLOWED BY A COACH, THEN THE VICTIM. VICTIM'S ALTIMETER RECORDED; EXIT ALTITUDE OF 3900' AGL, DEPLOYMENT ALTITUDE OF 2680' AGL, 10 SECOND FREEFALL.

MULTIPLE WITNESSES REPORTED, WITH WRITTEN STATEMENTS, JUMPER INITIATED AN ABRUPT (UNRECOVERABLE) TURN TOO LOW TO THE GROUND. JUMPER AND CANOPY IMPACTED THE GROUND SIMULTANEOUSLY. VICTIM WAS AN EXPERIENCED JUMPER.