| Date | Location | Category | Age | # Jumps | AAD?/RSL? | Dropzone.com Report | Dropzone.com Discussion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22/07/2006 | Gold Coast Skydivers, MS | CCOL | 75 | 2296 | N/? | 200 | #2346991 | |
| DropZone.com Description: "Two jumpers were involved in a canopy collision after opening following a routine 4 way jump Opening altitude was approximately 3500 feet. One of the jumpers died as a result of the collision. The other jumpe sustained severe bruising from his thigh to his ankle but was otherwise okay. Jumper 2 had severe line twists on opening and the collision occurred immediately after he kicked out. The canopies momentarily wrapped but came apart very quickly and were not damaged by the impact. Jmper 2 first thought that jumper 1's head collided with his chest but the nature of his bruises suggests that jumper 1's head hit around his hip and thigh area. Jumper 1 always wore a protect helmet but apparently it came off during impact because we could not find his helmet anywhere. After the collision the jumper was observed to be in a slow right hand turn and hanging limp in his harness. His right brake was still stowed and his left brake was released, possibly a result of the collision." |
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| USPA Description: This jumper participated in a 3-way formation skydive. The jumpers broke off at 4,500 feet, and this jumper deployed his main canopy at 3,000 feet. Shortly after deployment, he collided with one of the other 3-way participants under canopy. Following the collision, witnesses observed him to be unresponsive in a slow spiral for the remainder of his descent. He landed in an open field and received immediate medical attention but died from internal injuries. It was not clear whether the canopy collision or the landing caused his injuries. | ||||||||
| USPA Conclusions:The other jumper involved in the collision experienced line twists during deployment, which prevented him from steering the canopy until he cleared the twists. Once free of the line twists, he did not have time to avoid the collision, and the two jumpers, flying at nearly the same level, struck head-on. It is unknown whether the first jumper had any trouble controlling his canopy before the collision. He was found with one brake line released, presumably causing the spiral, but investigators could not determine whether the brake had released before or after the collision. The Skydiver’s Information Manual recommends jumpers in groups of five or fewer break off at least 1,500 feet above the highest planned deployment altitude, which should provide enough separation between jumpers in most cases. The report did not indicate how much horizontal separation the jumpers had obtained after tracking. However, two canopies flying toward each other on opening can diminish a reasonably safe horizontal separation in just a short amount of time. It is not known whether this jumper had an off-heading opening or other problem, such as line twists, or simply did not see the second jumper flying toward him. Skydivers should attempt to initiate a flat track while remaining aware of other jumpers’ locations to help ensure enough horizontal separation before deployment. Only one jumper needs to see and react to avoid an impending collision. Following a successful deployment, a jumper’s first priority should be to check his surrounding airspace for other canopy traffic and steer to avoid if necessary. | ||||||||
| Name | Robert G.D. Williams | |||||||