What happened
On August 28, 2015, at approximately 17:35 local time, a parachutist participating in a training course organized by a European veterans' military organization was involved in a fatal accident near Klatovy Airport (LKKT). The individual was performing a training jump from a Skyvan aircraft at an altitude of 1,500 m AGL.
Upon exiting the aircraft's rear ramp, the parachutist did not maintain a stable "military" exit position, instead transitioning into a freefall posture. During the deployment of the SOLO 250 main parachute, the parachutist's legs collided with the suspension lines. This interference caused an asymmetric deployment where an AB-line became caught on the equipment, partially pulling the slider into the canopy. This resulted in an incomplete inflation (approximately 70%) and triggered an extreme rotation of the main canopy.
Rather than immediately cutting away the malfunctioning main parachute, the parachutist attempted to manually activate the SMART 250 reserve parachute. This sequence led to the reserve deployment line passing through the main parachute's suspension lines. The reserve canopy's container became entangled with the rotating main canopy, causing both parachutes to wrap together and collapse. The parachutist struck the ground in a garden approximately 420 meters north of the airport at a speed of approximately 41 m/s, resulting in one fatality.
The investigation
The ÚZPLN investigation examined the parachutist's training records, the deployment sequence via data from the Cypres 2 automatic activation device (AAD), and the physical condition of the parachute equipment. The investigation also reviewed witness statements from the instructor and the jumpmaster.
Inspectors found that while the equipment was functional and properly packed, the parachutist's exit technique and subsequent emergency response were flawed. The investigation also noted that the AAD was set to "EXPERT" mode rather than the required "STUDENT" mode, though this was not determined to be a contributing factor to the accident.
Findings
- The parachutist was an inexperienced trainee with limited recent jumping experience.
- The primary cause of the accident was the improper management of an emergency situation, specifically the decision to activate the reserve parachute before cutting away the malfunctioning main parachute.
- The interaction between the two parachutes during the improper deployment sequence caused the total collapse of the main canopy.
- The parachutist failed to maintain a stable exit posture, which contributed to the initial line entanglement.