On his 21st wingsuit jump, this novice wingsuiter was flying with a more experience jumper (POV camera). Despite some separation between them, everything was going well until the newer jumper – who was above the other jumper at the time – attempted a barrel roll. The maneuver resulted in a rapid loss of altitude, the jumper flailing for a moment and then nearly hitting the other skydiver at high speed. Fortunately, there was no contact and both jumpers landed safely.
The newer jumper readily admitted that he was unfamiliar with wingsuit progression and that he hadn’t done his research. He noted that, upon further education regarding the issue, a jumper “early on in their wingsuit progression” should never attempt maneuvers like a barrel roll while flying above other jumpers.
The old truism is, “Plan the jump. Jump the plan.” It has been around for ages for a good reason. If you want to attempt exciting new maneuvers, include them in the dive flow when you’re on the ground. If they’re not safe, that gives other jumpers the opportunity to communicate and tell you that you shouldn’t try them. Alternatively, if they are safe, including your intended plan in the dive flow ensures other jumpers know what you’re going to try so that they can be ready in case your attempt doesn't quite go as planned.
This incident also largely comes down to the fact that, when learning ANY new discipline, newer jumpers need to be told what is – or is not – acceptable for them to attempt at a given skill level. Had this jumper been properly trained for this jump, this might not have happened.
This skydiver with around 50-ish jumps had incorrectly routed his chest strap, resulting in the chest strap coming undone in freefall. Fortunately, another jumper in the group– a Tandem Instructor with over 3,000 jumps – noticed the chest strap flapping in the wind; the TI grabbed his friend to show him that the chest strap was undone. After he realized what was going on, the jumper grabbed onto the strap, deployed his main canopy and landed safely without further incident.
The jumper had incorrectly routed his chest strap. He failed to go around the friction adapter and then back under it. That routing is what allows friction to be created by the pressure of the adapter pressing the strap against the square ring.
As part of his gear check, the jumper was grabbing both the under and over part of the strap and pulling against the hardware. This felt secure because – by holding both parts of the strap – his grip was preventing any movement.
The black hardware on a black strap made for very little contrast, making it more difficult for the jumper, and his buddies, to see that there was a misrouted chest strap.
Misrouting typically happens one of two ways:
In either case, if they slide their hand or fingers under the straps – don’t grab onto them – and just push away from their chest, the fact that friction is not being created will make it obvious that the strap was not routed properly.
The black hardware made the mistake harder to see but that’s not an excuse. When you’re checking your buddy, you need to get hands on their equipment and physically check that it’s good to go.
Here's a bizarre malfunction you don't see every day -- or ever. As this AFF student initiated the pull sequence, he accidentally slid his hand down the side of his body, under the harness, and pulled the pilot chute through the harness causing a pilot chute in tow! The instructor saw it happening but wasn't able to stop the student in time. Fortunately, in a ninja-level move, the AFF-I managed to grab the bridle, pulled the pilot chute back through the harness and released it; giving the student a regular deployment which he then landed. Wow.
The submission that came with this video noted that, due to the student's body type, the instructors wanted him on a larger canopy. However, the only container they had with a canopy of the proper size "didn't fit the student as well as (they) wanted." The jumper was doing well until he decided to slide his hand under his harness. The question that comes up is: if the equipment fit properly, would his hand have slid down on the outside of the container and not caused any issues at all?
The AFF-I who sent in this video noted that instructors should "Always expect students to find new and exciting ways to try and kill themselves, or you." This was certainly an incident underscoring that truism.
Hang out at enough dropzones and sooner or later you’ll hear the phrase, "Student gear is usually one-size-fits-none." However, this incident underscores why that type of argument can result in serious consequences. Ultimately, every jumper should be using equipment that doesn’t compromise when it comes to safety but that’s even more important when it comes to students. Instructors, S&TA’s, DZM’s and DZO’s have a responsibility to make sure that new jumpers are entering the sport safely.
We really want to applaud the main-side instructor on an amazing job realizing what was happening and pulling that bridle back through the harness to get the pilot chute out. Even after watching it a few times, it doesn’t stop being impressive how quickly he reacted. Another note, however, is the fact that the reserve-side instructor had already left the student during the deployment when they are typically supposed to ride through the deployment until the student is ripped out of their hands.
Wow, this was so close to being a really bad day for this tandem. As the Tandem Instructor was moving towards the door, his reserve parachute deployed in the plane! Fortunately, the videographer saw it, grabbed it, and another TI helped control the situation. The door was immediately closed, the reserve was passed forward, and the plane landed with no further incident.
The submission details noted that they believe the TI snagged his reserve on the door track while he was moving forward from the bench.
Snag hazards are common on every aircraft and all jumpers should be aware of them. Every skydiver, from an AFF student to the most experienced examiner, needs to make sure that they aware of their surroundings and that their containers do not rub up against something that could dislodge a pin, snag a cable, or pull a handle.
This could have been a very bad day. But instead, thanks to staff members who were heads-up and reacted quickly, it just resulted in a plane ride back to the ground. The videographer on that front float was paying attention to everything that was going on, saw the threat and reacted instantly. The second TI, an S&TA, quickly alerted everyone to the situation and directed them to get the TI back into the plane, close the door, and pass the reserve forward towards the nose of the plane.
I don't think dodging a helicopter in freefall was part of this AFF student's ground school 😲
This AFF jump took place during a boogie, which offered heli jumps to fun jumpers at the boogie. As the student was deploying his main, the student and his instructors fell dangerously close to the helicopter as it was climbing to altitude. The main side instructor had some colorful words to say (and maybe some colorful underwear to wash) but everyone landed safely.
In the video submission it was noted, “A helicopter was brought in for the boogie, piloted by someone unfamiliar with skydive operations.” Evidently this pilot was not experienced with flying jumpers and was not aware of the (common sense) safety considerations which jump pilots should have in mind.
The submission also notes that, “Communication between pilots and the safety crew was lost during this incident.” It’s difficult to determine whether this means that communication was lost between the pilot dropping jumpers at altitude, the pilot in the helicopter, and/or ground control.
A few experienced jump pilots and ground control personnel were consulted on this video. A myriad of points was brought up.
1. Ground control: During boogies, dropzones should have an “air-boss” on the ground whose sole purpose is coordinating aircraft. If there are only two planes operating, the argument can be made they are able to communicate with one another. However; if there are three or more aircraft, low passes, high pulls, CRW jumps, etc.; there should be someone controlling the chaos.
2. Typically, communication issues should temporarily halt an aircraft’s operations:
-- If communication between the helicopter pilot and the ground was lost, they should not have taken off. And they certainly should not have flown under jump run.
-- If communication between the aircraft pilot and the ground was lost, they should not have dropped their jumpers without permission. (During a boogie with multiple aircraft, most dropzones require pilots to communicate when they are preparing to give the green light.)
3. Airspace plan: Many dropzones institute airspace plans which avoid this type of situation by preventing aircraft from flying through jump run airspace.
As noted, the helicopter pilot was inexperienced and that may have contributed to them not knowing what to do in a situation where they lost communications. However proper briefings on topics such as skydiving operations in general, airspace considerations, communications plans, etc., should have remedied their lack of experience.
This is a very minor tangential note. But letting civilian students jump in combat boots – while not a violation of regulation – isn’t ideal. Combat boots are heavy, thick, and can prevent a student from having proper body awareness. They are more difficult to fly and their usage can create bad habits.
After a relatively uneventful two-way, these skydivers turned away from each other without tracking away and… deployed their canopies!? They seem to have skipped the whole “track away” part of the jump; consequently, they opened up next to each other and had a canopy collision. Fortunately, they didn't get wrapped up or entangled in their lines, and both of them landed safely.
The jumper whose video we're viewing turned away from his buddy and deployed his canopy less than three seconds later without ever tracking away. As his canopy deploys, we see that his buddy did the same thing -- neither one of them tracked away.
Ancillary to the fact that these guys didn’t create any horizontal separation between themselves before opening, is the fact that this jumper’s canopy opened severely off-heading and sent him towards his buddy who deployed behind him.
This line gets thrown around a lot when it comes to big ways where you’re trying to get dozens if not hundreds of people away from each other to give each jumper enough room to open their canopy safely. However, proper tracking technique – the kind that creates horizontal separation between you and others – is just as important on your two- or three-way jumps.
This jumper knew he was heading towards his buddy, and he did… well… nothing. His hands briefly go up to his front right riser, but he never put any input into his canopy to turn away from the canopy he was heading towards. Had he reached up and grabbed a riser and tried to get away, there’s at least a chance the collision could have been avoided.
The fact that this jumper’s canopy turned upon deployment could have been due to a wide variety of issues: packing error, unstable deployment, asymmetric deployment, body position, etc. However, as noted earlier, this is a tangential issue because the main problem on this jump was the lack of tracking and separation.
This video didn’t come with a written submission but based on their belly skills, we’re guessing these were relatively newer jumpers. There’s nothing wrong with jumping with a friend who just graduated AFF with you, but if you’re going to do so, it’s important to remember the basics.
Also, some folks may be thinking, “But they had cameras!” However, based on some of the equipment seen in the full cut of the video and the plane being flown, it was almost certainly not in the U.S.. Camera rules around the world may be looser compared to USPA guidelines and recommendations, so we are not taking the existence of cameras on this jump to mean these jumpers had at least 200 jumps.
After deploying his main canopy, this skydiver got spun up into a messy situation with an aggressively diving canopy. Realizing he was unlikely to recover control, he cutaway within seconds and went to his reserve. The reserve opened quickly but had a fair amount of line twists and a dive of its own. Unfortunately the camera froze up and stopped recording moments later – arguably one of the best "features" of the GoPro 7 – but he says he cleared the reserve line twists by 700 feet off the ground. A “never give-up” scenario for sure!
This jumper noted that this was a brand new main with only 20-ish jumps, but that this was also his second cutaway on that canopy. With a new canopy this could certainly be a factor. However, when downsizing, a jumper can also move onto a more aggressive wingloading at which the canopy becomes more sensitive.
If this was not an equipment issue, this may have been user-error. As the jumper noted, it was a new canopy which he had already previously cutaway within the first 20 jumps. A new canopy is typically purchased because the jumper is downsizing or moving to a more aggressive canopy. Many jumpers do not realize how much more meticulous they may have to be regarding their openings when going through this transition. On an aggressive wing that is loaded heavier, minor issues can quickly turn into this type of malfunction.
Some jumpers may argue that this individual should not have chopped as quickly as he did. However, it was very unlikely that he was going to get out of that malfunction. By chopping early, he maximized how much time he had to fix issues with his reserve. The USPA noted in its 2019 “Don’t Delay; Cut Away” campaign that “Skydivers under spinning, diving canopies must stop looking up at their line twists and assuming they are something they can easily fix.” This jumper probably did the right thing by chopping fast.
An aggressively diving malfunction such as this one is likely to create line twists in the reserve because the jumper’s body is still rotating as the reserve deploys. Some jumpers use this type of scenario as an argument against MARD’s and RSL’s because they believe it is better to take a second (or longer) and get stable before deploying a reserve. However, diving malfunctions like this tend to eat up altitude a LOT faster than jumpers realize and can result in a reserve deployment below a safe altitude. Ultimately, it is better to have a fully inflated reserve like this one than have nothing over your head at a dangerously low altitude.
This skydiver yanked on his left toggle to do a 270° turn without visually clearing the airspace around him, which resulted in a scary canopy collision and wrap with the lower canopy. The mess was bad enough that the jumper decided to cutaway his main quite low; fortunately the reserve inflated quickly and the only injury was some line burn on the lower jumper’s arm.
A few very fundamental canopy flight rules should be drilled into a student’s head by the time they graduate AFF. Two of them are “Always look before you turn” and “The lower jumper has the right of way.” This jumper failed to look before he turned and was unaware that a lower jumper was there.
At some dropzones, this is a rule – the violation of which can get a person grounded. This scenario explains precisely why that’s the case.
Spiraling down is a dangerous practice for multiple reasons. First, it’s harder to track what is going on around you when you pick up speed and start spinning. Second, it makes it harder for everyone around you to predict your behavior. Other canopy pilots – especially those who may have a more aggressive canopy or a higher wingload – need to be able to anticipate where you are going.
This jumper doesn’t appear to try and look left or to the airspace below him before initiating this turn. However, it should be noted that it’s still highly possible that the other jumper would not have been visible because – to check the airspace he was going to be in after a 270° turn – he would have had to look to his right side as well. (A 90° turn to the left puts you flying to the left of your original line of flight, a 180° puts you flying in the opposite direction, a 270° puts you flying to the right of it.) That is why it’s crucial to maintain awareness of the other canopies in the air.
This chop had to happen low because the individual put himself into a situation where it was arguably the only option. Fortunately, this jumper was obviously using a MARD system that got his reserve out for him almost instantly. This video underscores why having a MARD can make a massive difference in terms of survivability – especially at lower altitudes.
These skydivers did a chill horny gorilla exit that was going pretty well... until it wasn’t. Once the back of their containers were exposed to the relative wind, one of the jumper's had a premature opening. As the pilot chute goes screaming past his head, he realized what was happening and quickly tried to clear the bridle. Either due to his efforts, or just naturally, the bridle slipped out from under his arm and the main canopy inflated without any issues.
This container looks freefly-friendly. So, the most likely cause of this incident is the pilot chute catching the relative wind. Direct exposure of the container to the relative wind during a horny gorilla like this one creates a lot of drag on any exposed surface of the pilot chute. And that small amount of exposure – which may not cause a premature deployment during a belly jump – can more easily cause one during a freefly jump.
In this video, we can’t see how the jumpers exited the plane and whether there was some incidental contact between the container and the aircraft. However, that is a very common way for a pilot chute to get dislodged just enough for the wind to then deploy it during a skydive.
On the ground, in the plane, and before exit: check your gear and have a buddy check it as well. Reaching behind to touch your BOC and see if your pilot chute is seated properly is NOT the same as having a friend look and make sure there’s no fabric peeking out that could catch the wind. The same goes for having someone check to make sure the elastic on your BOC is tight enough to prevent the pilot chute from getting dislodged.
Again, we can’t see anything in this video that suggests contact with the plane. However, it’s a common cause of this type of situation. We would be remiss to not consider it and note that – by rotating their container away from the doorframe and protecting it from incidental contact – jumpers can avoid bumping their BOC and accidentally dislodging their pilot chute.
