What happened
On May 14, 2015, a student skydiver was participating in a training session at the Olsztyn (EPOD) aerodrome, operated by Aeroklim Warmińsko-Mazurski. The student was performing jumps using a Navigator 260 parachute with automatic deployment capabilities. This day marked the student's very first jumps; the initial jump of the day had been successfully completed and evaluated as correct by the instructor.
Prior to the second jump, the instructor conducted a briefing to review proper procedures for exiting the aircraft, flight maneuvers, and landing techniques. During the second jump, the student executed the exit, flight path, and approach to the landing zone correctly. However, during the final phase of the landing at an altitude of approximately 15 meters, the student pulled the steering lines to roughly 50% tension and then abruptly released them. This action caused the canopy to oscillate and gain significant speed. The student failed to respond to the instructor's command to pull the steering lines to stabilize the descent, resulting in a landing with high horizontal and vertical velocity. Despite maintaining a proper body position upon impact, the student sustained serious injuries.
The investigation
The investigation examined the student's training history and the sequence of maneuvers leading to the impact. It was established that the student had received ground training covering procedures for managing high-speed approaches during landing. During post-accident discussions, the student was unable to provide an explanation as to why they failed to brake the parachute prior to touchdown.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the student's improper reaction to the parachute's flight leveling at an excessive altitude, which led to a high-velocity impact.
- The student's sudden release of the steering lines caused canopy instability and increased descent speed.
- The student did not follow the instructor's corrective commands during the landing phase.
Safety action
Following the incident, the instructor reviewed the event with all students currently undergoing training, highlighting the errors made and reinforcing the correct procedures to follow in similar situations.