What happened
On August 5, 2019, a skydiving operation took place at Bagicz Airport (EPKG). During the 14th flight of the day, a Cessna 182P, registration G-EEZS, carried four skydivers to an altitude of 3,000 meters. The group intended to perform a specific formation maneuver known as RW4 before deploying their parachutes at approximately 1,000 meters, with a planned landing on a nearby beach.
At approximately 19:50 LMT, the pilot opened the aircraft door, signaling the jump. The skydivers exited the aircraft but delayed their exit by 28 seconds instead of the planned 15 seconds. While attempting to reform the star formation in the air, the group encountered descending air, which caused a significant loss of altitude. Consequently, the skydivers deployed their parachutes at much lower altitudes, between 780 and 560 meters.
All four skydivers landed in the sea. Two of the skydivers, both men, landed closer to the shore and were able to walk to the beach on their own. The other two skydivers, both women, landed approximately 200 meters from the shore. They were recovered by water rescue services about 20 minutes after hitting the water, but both were unconscious. Despite resuscitation efforts on the beach, both women succumbed to their injuries, resulting in two fatalities.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation examined the operational procedures at Bagicz Airport, the pilot's decision-making, and the skydivers' preparation. The investigation revealed that the airport's operational instructions lacked procedures for skydiving, and the airport's emergency plan did not include protocols for water landings. The inquiry also looked into the technical condition of the parachutes used and the pilot's experience level regarding passenger jumps.
Findings
Several contributing factors led to the accident, most notably the pilot's decision to jump the skydivers on a course perpendicular to the coastline, heading toward the open sea. Other findings included:
- The organizer of the jumps simultaneously performed the roles of organizer, tandem pilot, instructor, and pilot.
- The pilot failed to account for wind speed and direction at 3,000 meters when planning the drop zone.
- The skydivers were not wearing life jackets despite jumping near a body of water.
- The landing site was designated on a beach that three of the skydivers were not licensed to land in.
- There was no pre-jump briefing regarding safety or emergency procedures.
- The female skydivers were wearing heavy weights (7kg and 9kg) to equalize descent rates but failed to remove them before hitting the water.
- The skydivers did not perform necessary emergency procedures for a water landing.
- The parachutes used by the deceased skydivers were of long service life, which may have impacted their glide ratio.
Safety action
The PKBWL issued recommendations to the Bagicz Airport manager to include skydiving procedures in their operational instructions. Additionally, a recommendation was made to the President of the Civil Aviation Authority (ULC) to include specific guidance for organizing skydiving operations near bodies of water, which has since been implemented in national safety guidelines.