What happened
On June 16, 2018, during a skydiving mission identified as RW-4, a skydiver deployed a Skipper parachute at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters. Immediately following deployment, the canopy began to spiral heavily to the left, with the rotation intensifying.
Upon attempting to steer the parachute by releasing the left toggles, the skydiver noticed significant slack in the lines and observed knots present on the control line. Following emergency procedures, the skydiver manually released the main canopy and deployed the reserve parachute. The landing took place on the operational area of the Chrcynno (EPNC) airfield, and the skydiver sustained no injuries.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the user, focused on the deployment sequence and the condition of the control lines. The inquiry examined the state of the parachute lines and the deployment process to determine why the canopy failed to fly straight and why knots had formed on the lines.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was likely an error during the packing process, specifically the improper securing of the steering toggles.
- This packing error resulted in the formation of knots on the control line during the deployment of the parachute.