OpenAirDocs.org

20220522007909I

Incident · No damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Aircraft · Rockmart, GA · May 22, 2022

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
May 22, 2022 · 15:20 local
Place
Rockmart, GA
Airport
Polk County Airport
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
NONE
People aboard
0
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.

Student skydiver was on a first solo jump, along with her instructor. The following narrative is based on video of the jump recorded from the helmet cam on the instructor's helmet, along with the instructor's statement.

Exit from the aircraft appears to be normal with the instructor immediately holding on to the student's left side of her jumpsuit. Top of jump appears to be normal with the instructor giving the student hand signals, to which she appears to be responding to. At approximately 5,000', by reference to the student's altimeter, the instructor appears to have difficulty holding on to and controlling the student, and at one point letting go of her, as well as the student appearing to "freeze up" and stoppped responding to the instructor's hand signals. The instructor is seen going over the back of the student and goes over the top of her and over to her right side. Instructor then goes back over the top of the student and back to her left side where he is able to grab her again and regain control of her at approximately 2,700'. The instructor positions himself on the student's left side and pulls the red handle on the student's parachute rig located on the bottom left side, near her left hip, opening the flap for the main pilot chute to deploy. The instructor appears to distance himself from the student. The main pilot chute is seen deployed but appears to get caught in the student's burble and doesn't fully open. The student is seen floating away from the instructor and looking at the instructor. At one point, the student looks at her altimeter and reaches back towards her right hip with her right hand, presumably to deploy the main pilot chute and main parachute. The pilot chute is no longer there as the instructor already pulled the handle to open the flap to release the pilot chute. At approximately 1,700', the instructor deployed his main parachute. The student disappears from sight in the video and then reappears momentarily somewhere around 1,000' or lower, and only the main pilot chute is seen behind the student and still not fully deployed.

At the scene, the student's main parachute was deployed and laying behind the student, along with the reserve parachute. The main parachute cutaway handle was found to still be stowed, along with the reserve parachute handle. The aad showed evidence of being activated. The steering toggles for both the main and reserve parachutes were still stowed.

As the FAA filed it

STUDENT SKYDIVER WAS ON A FIRST SOLO JUMP, ALONG WITH HER INSTRUCTOR. THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE IS BASED ON VIDEO OF THE JUMP RECORDED FROM THE HELMET CAM ON THE INSTRUCTOR'S HELMET, ALONG WITH THE INSTRUCTOR'S STATEMENT.

EXIT FROM THE AIRCRAFT APPEARS TO BE NORMAL WITH THE INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY HOLDING ON TO THE STUDENT'S LEFT SIDE OF HER JUMPSUIT. TOP OF JUMP APPEARS TO BE NORMAL WITH THE INSTRUCTOR GIVING THE STUDENT HAND SIGNALS, TO WHICH SHE APPEARS TO BE RESPONDING TO. AT APPROXIMATELY 5,000', BY REFERENCE TO THE STUDENT'S ALTIMETER, THE INSTRUCTOR APPEARS TO HAVE DIFFICULTY HOLDING ON TO AND CONTROLLING THE STUDENT, AND AT ONE POINT LETTING GO OF HER, AS WELL AS THE STUDENT APPEARING TO "FREEZE UP" AND STOPPPED RESPONDING TO THE INSTRUCTOR'S HAND SIGNALS. THE INSTRUCTOR IS SEEN GOING OVER THE BACK OF THE STUDENT AND GOES OVER THE TOP OF HER AND OVER TO HER RIGHT SIDE. INSTRUCTOR THEN GOES BACK OVER THE TOP OF THE STUDENT AND BACK TO HER LEFT SIDE WHERE HE IS ABLE TO GRAB HER AGAIN AND REGAIN CONTROL OF HER AT APPROXIMATELY 2,700'. THE INSTRUCTOR POSITIONS HIMSELF ON THE STUDENT'S LEFT SIDE AND PULLS THE RED HANDLE ON THE STUDENT'S PARACHUTE RIG LOCATED ON THE BOTTOM LEFT SIDE, NEAR HER LEFT HIP, OPENING THE FLAP FOR THE MAIN PILOT CHUTE TO DEPLOY. THE INSTRUCTOR APPEARS TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM THE STUDENT. THE MAIN PILOT CHUTE IS SEEN DEPLOYED BUT APPEARS TO GET CAUGHT IN THE STUDENT'S BURBLE AND DOESN'T FULLY OPEN. THE STUDENT IS SEEN FLOATING AWAY FROM THE INSTRUCTOR AND LOOKING AT THE INSTRUCTOR. AT ONE POINT, THE STUDENT LOOKS AT HER ALTIMETER AND REACHES BACK TOWARDS HER RIGHT HIP WITH HER RIGHT HAND, PRESUMABLY TO DEPLOY THE MAIN PILOT CHUTE AND MAIN PARACHUTE. THE PILOT CHUTE IS NO LONGER THERE AS THE INSTRUCTOR ALREADY PULLED THE HANDLE TO OPEN THE FLAP TO RELEASE THE PILOT CHUTE. AT APPROXIMATELY 1,700', THE INSTRUCTOR DEPLOYED HIS MAIN PARACHUTE. THE STUDENT DISAPPEARS FROM SIGHT IN THE VIDEO AND THEN REAPPEARS MOMENTARILY SOMEWHERE AROUND 1,000' OR LOWER, AND ONLY THE MAIN PILOT CHUTE IS SEEN BEHIND THE STUDENT AND STILL NOT FULLY DEPLOYED.

AT THE SCENE, THE STUDENT'S MAIN PARACHUTE WAS DEPLOYED AND LAYING BEHIND THE STUDENT, ALONG WITH THE RESERVE PARACHUTE. THE MAIN PARACHUTE CUTAWAY HANDLE WAS FOUND TO STILL BE STOWED, ALONG WITH THE RESERVE PARACHUTE HANDLE. THE AAD SHOWED EVIDENCE OF BEING ACTIVATED. THE STEERING TOGGLES FOR BOTH THE MAIN AND RESERVE PARACHUTES WERE STILL STOWED.