What happened
On August 26, 2017, a skydiver performed a jump from an SC-7 Skyvan at an altitude of 4,200 meters AGL near the Piotrków Trybunalski airport (EPPT). The wind conditions at the time of the jump were approximately 2 m/s. The jump initially proceeded without incident; however, during the inflation of the main canopy, the slider became stuck halfway down the lines.
Upon realizing the main parachute was not inflating correctly, the skydiver disconnected the main canopy and deployed the reserve parachute. The skydiver landed safely at the airfield with no injuries.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the operator, focused on the mechanical failure of the parachute deployment sequence. The analysis determined that the slider's failure to descend was likely caused by a knot that had formed on one of the control lines during the packing process.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the formation of a knot on a control line during the parachute opening process.
Safety action
Following the incident, the matter was reviewed with both skydivers and parachute packers. It was recommended that packers systematically monitor the condition of control lines by unravelling them during the packing process to prevent similar knots from occurring.