SFL-2025-002 · Cause: Equipment problem
Partially verified Facts as reported in the sources below. This is not an official investigation.
Incident
- Date
- 25.01.2025
- Country
- USA
- Drop zone
- Skydive Arizona
- Place
- Eloy, Arizona
- Context
- Sport / fun jump
- Phase
- Canopy flight
Jumper
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 55
- Total jumps
- 280
- Years in sport
- 4
Equipment
- Main canopy
- 150 sq ft
- Wing loading
- 1 lb/sq ft
Cause
- Category
- Equipment problem
- Malfunction
- Other
- Contributing factors
- Procedures not followed
What happened
Solo jump from a Twin Otter at 13,000 ft. While clearing her slider and releasing the brakes, the right steering toggle stuck in the cat's eye, so the canopy kept turning right for the rest of the descent. Her cutaway and reserve handles were still in place.
Lessons for safety
If a toggle will not release and the canopy cannot be flown straight, cut away and deploy the reserve while there is height.
Sources
- www.legacy.com Other, Obituary
- www.uspa.org Federation, USPA 2025 fatality summary, case #12 (anonymous)
Is something wrong or missing? Send a correction and mention SFL-2025-002.