# Incident 20220522007909I: Rockmart, GA, May 22, 2022

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 22, 2022, 15:20 local time
- Place: Rockmart, GA
- Airport: Polk County Airport
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
- Location: 34.0083° N, 85.0450° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Rockmart, GA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.0083&lon=-85.0450&mi=10
- Aircraft: NONE (not matched to a registry record)
- People aboard: 0
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220522007909I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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