What happened
On August 30, 2015, a skydiver with an extensive experience of 1,486 jumps was performing a tandem jump from an altitude of 4,000 meters. During the freefall phase, the individual was filming the jump. The main parachute deployed at approximately 900 meters above the ground. Immediately following the opening, the canopy experienced a significant malfunction characterized by deep rotations and a line twist.
In response to the malfunction, the skydiver manually released the main canopy and deployed the reserve parachute. The descent concluded with a landing on the operational area of the EPNC landing field in Chrcynno. Tragically, the incident resulted in one fatality.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the jump organizer, involved a detailed analysis of video footage recorded during the jump and a physical examination of the main parachute canopy. The investigators focused on the deployment sequence to determine why the lines twisted so severely.
Findings
The investigation established that the primary cause of the line twist was the unintentional release of the steering line during the parachute deployment process. This malfunction was traced back to an error made during the packing of the parachute.