What happened
On September 10, 2017, a student skydiver was performing their sixth jump, and second jump of the day, departing from a Cessna 206. The jump involved an automatic deployment system. The separation from the aircraft was completed without incident; however, once the main parachute, a Manta 298, had deployed, the student noticed that the canopy was tilted or distorted halfway along its length.
Following established emergency procedures, the student manually released the main canopy and deployed the reserve parachute. The landing was completed successfully within the designated landing zone of the Kraków Pobiednik (EPKP) airfield. The student sustained no injuries during the event.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the user, examined the equipment and the sequence of events. An inspection of the Manta 298 parachute was performed following the incident, and no physical damage to the equipment was identified.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was a disturbance in the opening of the parachute, which occurred due to undetermined reasons.
Safety action
Following the event, the operator reviewed the incident with other skydivers. The briefing focused on reinforcing the procedures for proper aircraft separation and the necessity of following correct emergency protocols in the event of a malfunction.