What happened
On August 12, 1991, during a routine training session at Jyvässkyla Airport (Tikkakoski), a 21-year-old student sustained serious injuries during their very first skydive. The jump was conducted from a Cessna 172, registration OH-COR, which was carrying a jumpmaster and two students.
The student exited the aircraft first but drifted significantly far from the intended landing zone, landing approximately 550 meters south of the target area. During the descent, the student experienced several rotations in the canopy, which caused them to drift toward the southwest. While the student managed to turn into the wind following radio instructions from a ground instructor, they were unable to reach the primary landing area.
As the student approached the ground, the ground instructor issued a command to perform a flare. However, the student either did not hear the instruction or failed to react in time. Consequently, the student struck the ground at a high horizontal velocity in a feet-first position. The impact resulted in a fracture of the first lumbar vertebra.
The investigation
The investigation examined the student's training, the weather conditions, and the functionality of the parachuting equipment. The student had recently completed a basic course and had only practiced exiting a Cessna 172 once prior to the accident.
Investigators inspected the main canopy, a Manta model, and the reserve parachute. While some discrepancies in the length of the control lines were noted, experimental jumps with similar equipment showed no significant difference in landing performance. The radio equipment was also tested and found to be fully operational. The investigation also reviewed wind data, noting a slight shift in surface wind direction during the jump, though wind speeds remained low at 3–6 knots.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the delayed flare, which resulted in a high-speed impact with the ground.
- The student's landing posture (feet-first) directly contributed to the severity of the spinal injury.
- Several contributing factors were identified, including a delayed exit from the aircraft that pushed the student off-course, canopy rotations that led to drifting, and the student's failure to hear or execute the radio instructor's command to flare.