What happened
On the evening of August 29, 1997, a student skydiver was participating in a training session at Kajaani Airport, Finland. The aircraft, a Cessna C-172 with registration OH-CEW, departed for the final scheduled jump of the evening carrying a jumpmaster and two students. The student was intended to perform a jump from 1,100 meters with a freefall duration of 2 to 5 seconds.
Shortly after exiting the aircraft, the student initiated the deployment of the main parachute within two seconds. During this process, the reserve parachute partially emerged from the container but remained trapped behind the bottom of the pack. As the main parachute began to inflate, the reserve parachute's deployment lines became entangled around the student's right ankle.
In an attempt to rectify the malfunction, the student initiated reserve deployment procedures. However, the process was complicated by the fact that the main parachute's deployment lines remained attached. As the reserve parachute inflated, it caught on a deployment guide (kantoviike) from the main parachute. This tension caused the guide to pull out of its housing, which subsequently trapped the reserve parachute's canopy, preventing it from fully inflating. The student struck the ground with the malfunctioning equipment, resulting in one fatality.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft, the parachute equipment, and the student's training records. Investigators analyzed the physical state of the parachute container, the deployment mechanism, and the student's body. The investigation also included medical examinations, which found that while the student had traces of alprazolam (Xanor) in their system, the levels were consistent with long-term medicinal use and were not a contributing factor to the accident.
Investigators also reviewed the training progression of the student, noting that the transition from training pulls to student solo jumps had lacked certain harness practice requirements. Additionally, the investigation looked into the maintenance and packing records of the club's equipment and the oversight provided by the national aviation authority.