1 Matches (out of a total of 833 incidents)
  1. Date Location Category Age # Jumps AAD?/RSL? Dropzone.com Report Dropzone.com Discussion
    08/07/2004 Skydive Chicago, IL BIZ 34 3 Y/Y 35 #1148594
    Description: After a post-AFF solo dive, the jumper appeared lifeless and unresponsive under a spiralling canopy until impact. The attorney for Skydive Chicago has speculated that webbing on the harness broke, causing the chest strap to break the jumpers neck. This fatality is very similar to one that happened at Skydive Miami, July 2003
    Lessons:
    USPA Description: After an uneventful freefall on his third skydive, this jumper deployed his parachute at 5,000 feet. He was next observed to be limp in the harness as the parachute descended in a slow spiral into a group of trees. The reserve pilot chute had deployed and trailed behind the jumper, but there was no entanglement of the main canopy and reserve bridle.
    USPA Conclusions:The report stated that the parachute opened hard and that the harness' left main lift web had failed where it passed through the friction adapter used to adjust the length of the harness. Skydiving schools commonly use harness systems with adjustable main lift webs to provide a better fit for a wider range of students. The failure, presumably during opening, apparently caused the student to suddenly drop in the arness, catch his chin on the chest strap and break his neck, according to the report. The report also said that the reserve ripcord was pulled at some point during the incident. The reserve pilot chute deployed, but the reserve canopy evidently stayed in the container due to the slow descent.

    A fatal main lift web failure occurred on the same make and model of student harness and container system 12 months prior to this accident, although at a different point on the assembly. The FAA is leading an investigation to determine a course of action. The manufacturer has issued a service bulletin calling for a thorough inspection by a master rigger before the next jump on the gear. Owners of any system using adjustable main lift webs should be alert to wear or damage.
    Name Joel D. Morgan