What happened
On May 1, 2017, a group of five independent skydivers performed a formation flight (RW-5) from an AN-2 aircraft at an altitude of 3,0 and 000 meters. The weather conditions featured a wind of 5 m/s from direction 030 and clear skies. Following the jump, two skydivers successfully established a formation, while the remaining three were unable to dock.
At an altitude of approximately 1,500 meters, the exercise was terminated according to pre-arranged procedures. One skydiver performed a tracking maneuver, while a female skydiver remained in position. At roughly 1,200 meters, the female skydiver deployed her PD 210 parachute, which inflated correctly. At that moment, one of the skydivers who had failed to dock collided with her canopy.
The high descent rate caused by the entanglement led the second skydiver to deploy his reserve parachute; however, the deployment process was slightly disrupted, resulting in a spinning descent. After failing to establish communication with the other jumper, the female skydiver released her main canopy and landed safely on her reserve parachute at a nearby airfield. The male skydiver, entangled in the lines of the released main canopy, attempted to clear the lines by pulling them, which eventually allowed his reserve parachute to inflate. However, he was unable to stabilize the descent because the partially inflated, entangled PD 210 canopy caused the entire system to rotate continuously. The skydiver struck trees during landing and fell to the ground, sustaining a fractured right tibia plateau, a torn lateral ligament in the right leg, and a compression fracture of the T9 vertebra.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of events involving the two skydivers and the equipment involved. It was established that during the emergency procedures, both skydivers lost their deployment handles and reserve release handles. The investigation also noted that the collision caused significant damage to the parachutes, specifically a tear in the PD 210 and damage to an XFast 170 canopy.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the carelessness of the skydiver, manifested by a lack of situational awareness and a failure to adhere to the established flight plan.
- Contributing factors included the limited formation-building skills of the jumpers and the selection of a flight task that was disproportionate to their level of training.