What happened
On June 10, 2015, an experienced skydiver with 850 previous jumps exited an aircraft at an altitude of 1,000 meters near the Aleksandrów airfield (EPBA) in Bielsko-Biała. During the descent, the skydiver fell in a position tilted toward the left side. After approximately three seconds of freefall in this unstable posture, the individual deployed the pilot chute to initiate the opening of the main parachute, a Crossfire 129 (Icarus C. model).
Upon the canopy inflating, the skydiver identified significant line twists. Following standard emergency procedures, the skydiver cut away the main canopy and deployed the reserve parachute. The skydiver landed outside the airfield perimeter without sustaining any injuries.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of the deployment process and the physical orientation of the skydiver during the transition from freefall to canopy inflation. The investigation established that the malfunction was directly linked to the skydiver's body position at the moment of deployment.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was a jump technique error, specifically initiating the parachute deployment sequence while in an incorrect, asymmetrical body position.
- The resulting line twists in the Crossfire 129 canopy were a direct consequence of the non-neutral descent posture.