What happened
On July 3, 2019, during an Accelerated Freefall (AFF) training session at the Białystroc (EPBK) airfield, a student skydiver and two instructors experienced a highly unstable descent. The incident began at approximately 4,000 m AGL when the student failed to adopt the required arched position upon exiting the aircraft, instead maintaining a hunched posture. This caused the formation to enter a backward rotation.
In an attempt to stabilize the formation, the second instructor separated from the group to re-intercept the student in a more manageable configuration. The first instructor remained attached to the student via the harness webbing and jumpsuit handles, attempting to correct the body position. Between 2,500 m and 3,000 m AGL, the centrifugal forces generated by intense rotations caused the first instructor to separate from the student without successfully deploying the student's main parachute.
The second instructor subsequently intercepted the student, but the student's physical actions—specifically grabbing the instructor's arms—prevented the instructor from deploying either the main or reserve parachute. After a subsequent separation at 1,500 m AGL, the student reached a stable position but failed to deploy their reserve. At approximately 500 m AGL, the student began pulling the reserve handle, which triggered the AAD Vigil Student device to cut the closing loop. The first instructor, who had deployed their main parachute, experienced a biplane configuration as their reserve also deployed due to the AAD Vigil Pro device. The student and the first instructor landed near allotment gardens adjacent to the airfield. The student sustained a broken ankle and a fractured metatarsal on the right foot, injuries resulting from landing without footwear, which had been lost during the deployment process.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of events, the student's physical response to the descent, and the technical performance of the AAD devices. The investigation also reviewed video footage from the instructor's camera to analyze the breakdown of the training formation and the student's inability to follow established procedures during the emergency.