What happened
On 31 July 2011, a Pacific 750XL aircraft operated by the Johannesburg Skydiving Club departed from Carletonville aerodrome for a skydiving exercise. The flight climbed to an altitude of 10,750 feet without incident. During the descent, the crew performed standard equipment checks to ensure all parachute pins were correctly positioned.
As the aircraft approached the drop zone, a student and a jumpmaster prepared to exit. The jumpmaster dispatched the student before exiting the aircraft himself to perform a high-speed swoop landing over a nearby pond. While the parachute equipment functioned as intended, the jumpmaster's approach turn was initiated at an insufficient altitude. This resulted in a high-speed impact with the ground. Despite efforts to resuscitate him at the scene, the jumpmaster succumbed to multiple blunt force injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the circumstances of the descent and the equipment used in the accident. The jumpmaster was an experienced parachutist with four years of experience and 336 previous jumps. He was using a Mirage container with a Hurricane 150 main canopy.
Technical inspections of the parachute equipment revealed that the gear was in a satisfactory, airworthy condition. Witnesses at the scene confirmed that the weather conditions were fine and that the parachute had been fully functional during the flight.