What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 2/19/2022 at approximately 1250 CST, a parachute tandem jump incident occurred near skydive houston, Waller, Texas. The incident resulted in serious injuries to the student and in fatal injuries to the instructor. The instructor and student were the 2nd of two tandem jumps from N9098X; the aircraft was not involved in the event and the tandem jump of the 1st set of jumpers was uneventful.
Information extracted from a hand-cam video and an altimeter worn by the instructor, in addition to information extracted from the reserve parachute automatic activation device (aad) indicate that the exit from the aircraft occurred at an altitude just below 7500?. The aircraft exit and drogue parachute deployment appear to be normal from the video. The next visible altimeter reading was approximately 4600? Still in the drogue freefall, at which point the instructor reaches back and deploys the main parachute with his right hand (4410?). The video shows that the container opened and the main deployment bag came out however, the deployment of the main parachute had stopped at about the 3rd line stow which caused a bag lock. The video then shows the deployment of the reserve parachute, which deployed the reserve into the trailing main bag. Evidence of no release of the main was shown on the video by the 3-ring assembly still being intact. The instructor pulled the cutaway handle that released the main and after several spins the cutaway handle can be seen in the video as it flies away, with the reserve handle stuck from the velcro on it to the leg webbing. The reflection in the instructors face shield shows the reserve at full deployment with line twist and the slider less than half-way down. The video shows a spin with the instructor attempting to control the spin; at some point the reserve steering toggles were released in an attempt to control the parachute. The video then shows a shadow of the reserve parachute, with the slider still less than half-way down and one side of the parachute collapsed and not fully inflated.
The main parachute was of brazilian manufacture, vertical do ponto ind., model tandem 334, p/n 07-0101-1, manufactured in October 2019. The reserve parachute was manufactured by united parachute technologies, model VR360, manufactured in July 2018, with the last 180 day inspection and repack completed on 24 November 2021. Both parachutes were inspected post-incident and appeared to be in good condition, with no apparent damage or excessive wear.
As the FAA filed it
ON 2/19/2022 AT APPROXIMATELY 1250 CST, A PARACHUTE TANDEM JUMP INCIDENT OCCURRED NEAR SKYDIVE HOUSTON, WALLER, TEXAS. THE INCIDENT RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURIES TO THE STUDENT AND IN FATAL INJURIES TO THE INSTRUCTOR. THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT WERE THE 2ND OF TWO TANDEM JUMPS FROM N9098X; THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE EVENT AND THE TANDEM JUMP OF THE 1ST SET OF JUMPERS WAS UNEVENTFUL.
INFORMATION EXTRACTED FROM A HAND-CAM VIDEO AND AN ALTIMETER WORN BY THE INSTRUCTOR, IN ADDITION TO INFORMATION EXTRACTED FROM THE RESERVE PARACHUTE AUTOMATIC ACTIVATION DEVICE (AAD) INDICATE THAT THE EXIT FROM THE AIRCRAFT OCCURRED AT AN ALTITUDE JUST BELOW 7500?. THE AIRCRAFT EXIT AND DROGUE PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT APPEAR TO BE NORMAL FROM THE VIDEO. THE NEXT VISIBLE ALTIMETER READING WAS APPROXIMATELY 4600? STILL IN THE DROGUE FREEFALL, AT WHICH POINT THE INSTRUCTOR REACHES BACK AND DEPLOYS THE MAIN PARACHUTE WITH HIS RIGHT HAND (4410?). THE VIDEO SHOWS THAT THE CONTAINER OPENED AND THE MAIN DEPLOYMENT BAG CAME OUT HOWEVER, THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE MAIN PARACHUTE HAD STOPPED AT ABOUT THE 3RD LINE STOW WHICH CAUSED A BAG LOCK. THE VIDEO THEN SHOWS THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE RESERVE PARACHUTE, WHICH DEPLOYED THE RESERVE INTO THE TRAILING MAIN BAG. EVIDENCE OF NO RELEASE OF THE MAIN WAS SHOWN ON THE VIDEO BY THE 3-RING ASSEMBLY STILL BEING INTACT. THE INSTRUCTOR PULLED THE CUTAWAY HANDLE THAT RELEASED THE MAIN AND AFTER SEVERAL SPINS THE CUTAWAY HANDLE CAN BE SEEN IN THE VIDEO AS IT FLIES AWAY, WITH THE RESERVE HANDLE STUCK FROM THE VELCRO ON IT TO THE LEG WEBBING. THE REFLECTION IN THE INSTRUCTORS FACE SHIELD SHOWS THE RESERVE AT FULL DEPLOYMENT WITH LINE TWIST AND THE SLIDER LESS THAN HALF-WAY DOWN. THE VIDEO SHOWS A SPIN WITH THE INSTRUCTOR ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL THE SPIN; AT SOME POINT THE RESERVE STEERING TOGGLES WERE RELEASED IN AN ATTEMPT TO CONTROL THE PARACHUTE. THE VIDEO THEN SHOWS A SHADOW OF THE RESERVE PARACHUTE, WITH THE SLIDER STILL LESS THAN HALF-WAY DOWN AND ONE SIDE OF THE PARACHUTE COLLAPSED AND NOT FULLY INFLATED.
THE MAIN PARACHUTE WAS OF BRAZILIAN MANUFACTURE, VERTICAL DO PONTO IND., MODEL TANDEM 334, P/N 07-0101-1, MANUFACTURED IN OCTOBER 2019. THE RESERVE PARACHUTE WAS MANUFACTURED BY UNITED PARACHUTE TECHNOLOGIES, MODEL VR360, MANUFACTURED IN JULY 2018, WITH THE LAST 180 DAY INSPECTION AND REPACK COMPLETED ON 24 NOVEMBER 2021. BOTH PARACHUTES WERE INSPECTED POST-INCIDENT AND APPEARED TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION, WITH NO APPARENT DAMAGE OR EXCESSIVE WEAR.
Other reports on N9098X · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.