What happened
On March 3, 2017, a skydiver was performing their 580th jump from a W-3 Sokół helicopter near the Bielsko-Biała (EPBA) aerodrome. After exiting the aircraft at an altitude of 1,000 meters and completing a six-second freefall, the skydiver initiated the deployment of the main parachute. While the deployment process initially appeared normal, the skydiver subsequently discovered that the slider had become blocked.
Upon realizing the main canopy was not functioning correctly, the skydiver disconnected the main parachute and deployed the reserve parachute. The landing took place on the operational area of the airfield.
The investigation
The investigation examined the equipment and the sequence of the deployment. An inspection of the main parachute canopy was conducted; however, the examination of the canopy did not reveal the specific cause of the malfunction.
Findings
- The primary cause of the slider blockage was identified as a knot formed on the parachute lines, which likely occurred as the lines rotated during deployment.
Safety action
Following the incident, the event was discussed with other skydivers at the site. The recommendation provided was to ensure more careful braiding of the lines into the canopy cover to prevent similar line tangles.