A C206 PLT; PART OF A 2 ACFT FLT OF SKYDIVERS WITH A C182 AS LEAD; OPERATING AT AN AIR SHOW HAS HIS SKYDIVERS JUMP EARLY WHEN THE LEAD JUMPER IN THE LEAD ACFT JUMPED EARLY. THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AS THE AIR ACTIVITIES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE CTLED BY AN AIR BOSS IN CHARGE OF SAFETY AND SCHEDULING. DUE TO OTHER PARTICIPANT'S AWARENESS; NO CONFLICT OCCURRED.
Synopsis
A C206 PLT; PART OF A 2 ACFT FLT OF SKYDIVERS WITH A C182 AS LEAD; OPERATING AT AN AIR SHOW HAS HIS SKYDIVERS JUMP EARLY WHEN THE LEAD JUMPER IN THE LEAD ACFT JUMPED EARLY. THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AS THE AIR ACTIVITIES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE CTLED BY AN AIR BOSS IN CHARGE OF SAFETY AND SCHEDULING. DUE TO OTHER PARTICIPANT'S AWARENESS; NO CONFLICT OCCURRED.
Narrative
A SKYDIVE DEMONSTRATION WAS SCHEDULED TO START AN AIRSHOW. THE SKYDIVE WAS TO BE A 2 ACFT FORMATION JUMP; EACH ACFT CARRYING 4 SKYDIVERS. AS I WALKED TO THE PLT BRIEFING FOR THE SHOW I STOPPED TO TALK TO ONE OF THE DEMONSTRATION JUMPERS. HE DID NOT KNOW THE PLAN FOR THE SKYDIVE OR ANY REQUIREMENTS THE JUMPERS FELT THEY NEEDED FOR THEIR DEMONSTRATION. I MET THE LEAD JUMPER AT THE MEETING. THE LEAD JUMPER UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED TO HAVING A SEPARATE ACT CONSISTING OF 3 PITTS AEROBATIC AIRPLANES FOLLOW THE LAST JUMPER TO THE GND. IT WAS FURTHER UNDERSTOOD THAT THE JUMP WAS TO TAKE PLACE ONLY AFTER CLRNC FROM THE AIR BOSS AND AT XA45. THERE WAS TO BE DEPARTING FLTS OF MIL F16 TFC AT THE ARPT BELOW. DURING THE CLB THE AIR BOSS DIRECTED ALL JUMPERS OUT ON ONE PASS. CLRNC FOR THE JUMP HAD NOT YET BEEN GIVEN. YET JUMPERS IN MY ACFT; THE SECOND; STATED FOR SAFETY THAT THEY WANTED A SECOND PASS TO SPACE FOR SAFETY. I INDICATED THEY HAD TO JUMP ON ONE PASS OR ABORT THE JUMP. THEY COMPLAINED; BUT DECIDED TO JUMP. AFTER XING THE TARGET 4 MINS EARLY THE OTHER PLT RPTED HE WISHED TO ORBIT UNTIL JUMP CLRNC WAS ISSUED. THE JUMPERS THOUGH OPENED THE DOOR AND JUMPED AGAINST THE PIC'S DIRECTION; THEN MY JUMPERS OPENED MY ACFT'S DOOR AND EXITED. AT THIS TIME I WAS CONFUSED AND THOUGHT THAT THE CLRNC HAD BEEN GIVEN TO JUMP. I INSTRUCTED MY JUMPERS TO EXIT AND THEN THE LAST 2 JUMPED; THE PREVIOUS 2 HAD ALREADY DEPARTED MY ACFT. 2 ACTIONS COULD HAVE RESOLVED THE SIT OR PREVENTED IT. I COULD HAVE DEMANDED A BRIEFING FROM THE JUMPERS (THIS THOUGH I KNOW WOULD NOT BE LIKELY). SECOND I SHOULD HAVE ABORTED THE JUMP WHEN THE JUMPERS EXPRESSED CONCERN; OR AFTER THE LEAD JUMPER EXITED THE FIRST ACFT EARLY. CONSEQUENCES WERE THAT DEPARTING F16 TFC WAS JEOPARDIZED DURING THEIR DEP IF THEY HAD REVERSED COURSE ON UPWIND DEP. THE 3 PITTS WERE BELOW AND UNAWARE OF THE EXIT UNTIL THE LEAD PLT OF THE PITTS SPOTTED THE SKYDIVERS. WE IN THE JUMP PLANES HAD NOT YET MADE OUR CALLS PREVIOUS TO JUMP; IE; '2 MINS TO JUMP ... 1 MIN ... JUMPERS AWAY.'
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.