What happened
On August 1, 2015, a skydiver with 107 previous jumps performed a descent from an altitude of 3,000 meters. The jump proceeded normally until the deployment of the main Ceyenne 150 parachute. Upon inflation, the skydiver observed that the lines were passing through the canopy, creating a "cauliflower" effect that prevented proper inflation.
In response to the malfunction, the skydiver manually released the main canopy and deployed the reserve parachute. The skydiver successfully completed the landing on the operational portion of the Rudniki landing field (EPRU).
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanics of the parachute deployment. The report noted that the initial incident report did not specify the exact cause of the main parachute's improper inflation. The investigation examined the state of the equipment and the deployment sequence to determine if external factors or internal packing errors were responsible for the canopy distortion.
Findings
- The primary cause of the malfunction was identified as an error made during the packing process of the parachute.
- It was determined that the lines passing through the canopy were likely the result of improper arrangement of the parachute lines and fabric prior to deployment.
- There was no evidence of physical contact between the skydiver and the parachute lines during the descent.