What happened
On 28 January 2007, a 22-year-old student skydiver was participating in an accelerated free fall (AFF) training session at Modim olle Airfield. While other participants jumped from altitudes between 10,000 and 12,000 feet, the student exited the PAC 750XL aircraft at approximately 5,500 feet AGL to perform a solo "clear and pull" maneuver.
During the descent, the student attempted to deploy the main parachute but initially missed the ripcord handle. This error caused the student to lose a stable body position. In an attempt to locate the handle, the student dropped his head, which subsequently caused him to flip onto his back. When the main parachute finally deployed, the student's legs became entangled in the suspension lines, causing the canopy to spiral. Although the student successfully performed a cut-away procedure to jettison the malfunctioning main parachute, the remaining lines remained wrapped around his legs.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted in conjunction with the Parachute Association of South Africa (PASA), examined the equipment and the sequence of events leading to the impact. The student was a relatively experienced trainee with 20 jumps completed. Prior to the jump, the Jump Master/AFF Instructor had inspected the student's equipment—consisting of a Skymaster 290 main canopy and a Tempo 250 reserve—and found it to be in serviceable condition.
Investigators focused on why the reserve parachute failed to provide a secondary defense. While the student did attempt to deploy the reserve, the investigation found that the reserve parachute and its deployment bag had become entangled. Specifically, the reserve bridle was wrapped around the mouth of the deployment bag, preventing a full deployment.
Findings
- The student skydiver lost stable body control after missing the ripcord handle during free fall.
- The deployment of the main parachute resulted in lines entangling around the student's legs, leading to a spiraling canopy.
- The reserve parachute failed to deploy because the reserve canopy and the deployment bag became entangled.
- The student's automatic activation device (AAD) activated, but the reserve deployment was already obstructed by the entanglement of the bridle and the bag.