What happened
On June 13, 2020, a student skydiver was participating in a training jump session at the Gliwice (EPGL) airfield. Following standard pre-jump preparations, including weather briefings and instructor oversight, the group boarded the aircraft. Upon reaching the designated drop zone, the jumpers exited the aircraft in sequence.
The third person in the sequence, a student performing a specific line-jump training task (SL-1), exited the aircraft but failed to maintain a stable body position. As the parachute lines were deploying and the canopy was inflating, the student began spinning. During this rotation, the student did not attempt to use the steering toggles to arrest the spin, noting that the toggles were secured to the risers with Velcro. Furthermore, the student did not initiate emergency procedures, such as cutting away the main canopy and deploying the reserve parachute.
The student landed approximately 300 meters from the airfield in an agricultural field while the canopy was still rotating. Although initially examined by emergency medical services at the drop zone, the student later sought hospital treatment due to worsening physical condition, where a pneumothorax was diagnosed.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of the deployment and the student's actions during the canopy inflation process. The investigation included an inspection of the Commodore parachute, which revealed no mechanical damage or equipment failure. The findings also noted that the instructor and crew had reviewed the incident with the participants to reinforce emergency protocols.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the student's lack of a stable body position and the resulting rotations during the deployment and inflation of the parachute canopy.
- The student failed to utilize available control methods to stabilize the descent or execute emergency deployment procedures.