SFL-2024-022 · Cause: Landing – intentional low turn
Partially verified Facts as reported in the sources below. This is not an official investigation.
Incident
- Date
- 12.06.2024
- Country
- USA
- Drop zone
- West Tennessee Skydiving
- Place
- Whiteville, Tennessee
- Context
- Sport / fun jump
- Jump type
- Swoop / canopy piloting
- Phase
- Approach & landing
Jumper
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 38
- Total jumps
- 3,400
- Years in sport
- 13
Equipment
- Main canopy
- 84 sq ft
- Wing loading
- 2.60 lb/sq ft
Cause
- Category
- Landing – intentional low turn
- Contributing factors
- Water landing
What happened
Member of the US Army Parachute Team, on a civilian jump. Practice jump for a swoop competition, his second of the day, from a King Air at 6,000 ft. He made a 450° turn over the swoop pond and stayed in a steep dive until he hit the water. He was flying an 84 sq ft cross-braced canopy at a wing loading of 2.6.
Lessons for safety
Big-turn approaches leave a very narrow margin; plan where to abort.
Sources
- www.uspa.org Federation, USPA 2024 fatality summary, case #2 (anonymous)
Is something wrong or missing? Send a correction and mention SFL-2024-022.