A witness under canopy above this jumper observed him turn approximately 180 degrees before he struck the ground. Investigators believe he initiated the turn at an extremely low altitude, although there were no witnesses in a position to accurately gauge the altitude.

Since there was no wind when this jumper's load took off, all seven skydivers on the plane agreed to land facing west unless the wind picked up from a different direction. A few minutes after they were under canopy, the wind increased slightly to a few miles per hour from the southeast. This jumper initially faced into the new wind direction during his landing approach but turned toward the northwest right before he struck the ground. He may have planned his final approach to land facing into the wind but changed his mind at the last minute in an attempt to face the direction initially agreed upon. There were no obstacles in the immediate area that should have influenced his decision about the landing direction.

The report described this jumper as a conservative canopy pilot who was not known to have attended any structured canopy training course or to have ever worked with a more experienced canopy pilot on canopy skills. The evidence seems to indicate this was a case of a turn initiated too low in an attempt to land in the agreed-upon direction; however, it is difficult to come to determine the reason for the jumper's final turn at such a low altitude.

Light, shifting winds can lead to jumpers on the same load landing in different directions as each jumper chases the wind sock or streamer when it changes direction. Wind speeds of just a few miles per hour will not greatly affect the landing flare, and it is almost always safer for jumpers on the same load to fly the same canopy pattern than for them to use a variety of approaches while attempting to follow a shifting wind sock. Smaller flags and wind streamers easily change direction with the slightest breeze, which can lead to confusion for jumpers under canopy trying to determine a wind orientation for their final approach and landing. A large tetrahedron can help establish a landing direction for all wind conditions, as it is unaffected by light winds and will stay pointing in one direction unless the wind speed increases beyond three or four miles per hour from another bearing.

Many structured canopy courses include discussions on a large variety of landing conditions, including traffic management in variable winds; course training exercises typically include at least one crosswind landing in a controlled environment as well. Skydiver's Information Manual Sections 6-10 and 6-11 include information and practice exercises that can help jumpers learn more about canopy flight through any course led by an experienced canopy coach.

Regardless of wind direction or speed, it is safer to land a parachute that is flying straight with the wing level than it is to initiate a low turn to attempt to land into the wind. Ultimately, all turns must be completed with enough altitude for the canopy to return to straight and level flight for the landing flare.