What happened
On May 16, 2015, a skydiving accident occurred at the Krosno airport (EPKR) involving a Voyager 280 parachute operated by Grupa Spadochronowa Reaktor 24. The participant, a 68-year-old student with significant prior experience (487 jumps), was performing his second jump after a multi-year hiatus as part of an SL-1 training task.
After successfully exiting the aircraft at an altitude of 1,000 meters, the student proceeded toward the designated landing zone while following radio instructions from an instructor. At an altitude between 150 and 100 meters, the student executed a turn to land into the wind. During the descent, the student maintained the steering lines at 30–40% tension. Despite receiving direct instructions from the instructor, the student failed to increase the parachute's forward speed to allow for a proper flare and did not adopt the correct body position for landing. Consequently, the student struck the ground with his legs while the parachute was not leveled, resulting in fatal injuries.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight path of the parachute and the student's adherence to landing procedures. The inquiry established the sequence of maneuvers from the initial exit to the moment of impact, specifically examining the student's response to instructor commands via radio and the technical execution of the landing flare.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the failure to level the parachute flight path prior to touchdown.
- The student failed to adopt the proper body posture required for a safe landing.
- The student did not follow instructor commands to accelerate the parachute to facilitate a proper flare at low altitude.