What happened
On June 7, 2015, a student skydiver, who had completed an AFF course and two hours of wind tunnel training, performed their first jump of the 2015 season. The jump was a supervised training flight conducted from an altitude of 3,000 meters at the Krępa Słupska (EPSK) airfield. The student jumped alongside an instructor.
Following separation from the aircraft, the student performed a simulated parachute deployment and practiced maneuvers involving rotations. The instructor, observing that the student was executing the maneuvers correctly, moved away to allow the student to proceed with the actual deployment. However, as the student prepared to deploy the main parachute, they were unable to locate the deployment handle. While attempting to find the handle, the student failed to maintain altitude control. The student eventually initiated the deployment of the reserve parachute at approximately 400 meters, which coincided with the activation of the automatic activation device. The student landed safely at the airfield.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the training organizer, focused on the sequence of events leading to the inability to deploy the main canopy and the subsequent loss of altitude control. The inquiry examined the student's actions during the emergency and the effectiveness of the training protocols in place at the time of the incident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the inability to locate the main parachute deployment handle.
- A contributing factor was the student's loss of altitude control while attempting to resolve the emergency.
Safety action
The training organizer reviewed the incident with all skydivers, advising that in the event of a lost handle, they should attempt to locate it no more than three times before immediately deploying the reserve parachute. However, the commission noted that maintaining altitude control is more critical than the number of attempts made to find the handle. The commission also emphasized that the position of the deployment handle should be verified both before and after donning the parachute, and prior to exiting the aircraft.