What happened
On June 5, 2016, a student skydiver was performing a scheduled training jump (task SL-2) at the Mokre (EPZA) airfield. This was the student's 21st jump overall and their 4th jump of the day. After exiting the aircraft at an altitude of 1,200 meters, the student completed the required delay and performed the assigned freefall maneuvers.
Upon deploying the Mars 291 parachute, the flight path and the construction of the landing pattern proceeded normally. The student approached the landing area into the wind, which was blowing at a speed of 4–5 m/s. As the student reached an altitude of approximately 1 meter above the ground, they began to pull the steering lines. However, the landing was hard and occurred with the student's legs spread wide, resulting in serious injuries.
The investigation
The investigation examined the student's maneuvers during the final moments of the descent. It was established that the student's error involved pulling the steering lines too late and too slowly. This prevented the parachute from being properly flared, leading to a landing with an unlevel flight path and an increased rate of descent.
Findings
- The primary cause of the injury was the failure to flare the parachute sufficiently before touchdown.
- The student adopted an incorrect body position during landing, which, combined with the increased descent rate, contributed to the impact.
Safety action
Following the incident, the training entity's instructor reviewed the circumstances and causes of the accident with the members of the skydiving section present during the jumps. Particular emphasis was placed on the necessity of proper parachute braking and landing with feet together. A meeting was also scheduled for the section members to further discuss the event.