What happened
On 20 October 2024, a commercial skydiving mission operated by Skydive Dubai departed from the Skydive Desert Drop Zone in Margham. The aircraft, a DHC-6-300 Twin Otter registered as A6-SD6, was carrying 14 parachutists, two wingsuit flyers, and a pilot. During the flight, which reached a cruising altitude of 13,000 feet, a wingsuit flyer was participating in a training session.
After exiting the aircraft, the flyer initially experienced instability but successfully regained control. Following hand signals from an instructor, the flyer attempted a barrel roll maneuver. During this second attempt, the flyer lost stability and entered an inadvertent flat spin. The flyer failed to deploy the main parachute and did not follow standard emergency procedures to recover from the rotation. The descent became rapid and uncontrolled, leading to a ground impact that resulted in one fatality.
The investigation
Investigators from the GCAA AAIS examined video footage from an instructor's camera and performed a post-accident inspection of the equipment. The investigation confirmed that the flyer's wingsuit, AirGlider Falcon 2, and both the main and reserve parachutes showed no signs of structural damage or mechanical failure.
Data from the Automatic Activation Device (AAD) showed the device functioned as designed. It activated at 330 meters above ground level due to the high descent rate. However, the extreme rotational forces of the flat spin caused the reserve pilot chute bridle to entangle and wrap, which prevented the reserve parachute from inflating properly to arrest the descent.
Findings
- The flyer possessed a valid USPA-C license and had completed over 450 total jumps, including 38 wingsuit jumps.
- The accident was caused by the flyer entering a flat spin and being unable to recover due to limited experience specifically in wingsuit flight.
- The flyer did not implement established emergency procedures or standard operating procedures (SOP) during the unstable flight.
- The rapid rotation of the aircraft prevented the reserve parachute from deploying effectively, despite the AAD functioning correctly.
Safety action
Following the accident, the operator implemented new temporary restrictions for wingsuit activities. These include stricter eligibility criteria for foreign jumpers, requiring a minimum of 500 total jumps and 100 wingsuit jumps. Additionally, the club now requires a mandatory knowledge evaluation and verification of experience and equipment compliance for all qualifying jumpers.