What happened
On July 4, 2010, at approximately 09:50 UTC, a skydiver was participating in a sanctioned civil aviation event in Fromberg, Lower Austria. The event included various aerial activities, such as landings and departures using powered aircraft.
The skydiver performed an initial jump from an altitude of approximately 4,000 meters AGL using a personal parachute system equipped with an automatic activation device. The main parachute, an Aerodyne Systems Mamba 150, deployed at roughly 1,000 meters AGL. The descent proceeded normally until the skydiver reached an altitude of about 100 meters AGL and began a right-hand turn to prepare for the final landing approach.
During this 180-degree turn, the skydiver entered an accelerated downward spiral. The descent continued through several full rotations until the skydiver impacted a field at high speed. The reserve parachute was not deployed during the incident. Despite immediate first aid from medical-trained bystanders and transport via emergency helicopter, the skydiver succumbed to fatal injuries at a hospital in Horn.
The investigation
The Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) examined the parachute equipment and the circumstances of the descent. The investigation focused on the structural integrity of the Aerodyne Systems Mamba 150 and the sequence of maneuvers leading to the impact. Investigators reviewed the skydiver's training records, which indicated they were an experienced jumper, though no jumps had been recorded in their logbook for the two years prior to the accident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a component failure, specifically the snapping of a suspension line on the main parachute.
- Technical examination of the equipment revealed that a suspension line had broken near the A-B cascade.
- The skydiver was performing a standard landing maneuver when the structural failure occurred, leading to the loss of control.
- Contributing factors included potential maintenance deficiencies and the failure to deploy the reserve parachute during the spiral descent.