USPA

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USPA
United States Parachute Association 2004 Fatality
Summary
PIA Symposium January 18, 2005
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USPA
Total Membership 1991-2004
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USPA
New Ratings 1996-2004
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USPA
New Licenses 1996-2004
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USPA
A Quick Look At 2003
Reserve entanglement 1
Low reserve deployment 1
Medical 1
Collisions 3
Canopy Control 12
Emergency Procedures 3
Equipment 4
25 Total
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USPA
A Quick Look At 2004
No Pull 1
Low Pull 1
Other-1
Freefall Collision 1
Canopy Control 11
21 Total
Equipment 6
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USPA
2004
Experience Level
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USPA
Other-1

• Jumper with more than 6,000 jumps
• Caught cutaway main canopy with his foot
• Cutaway main entangled with his own main canopy
• No visual altimeter
• Jumper cutaway at a low altitude while spinning
  on his back

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USPA
Low Pull-1

• 1,000 jumps
• Loss of altitude awareness
• Intoxicated .16 blood alcohol level
• No audible altimeter, no AAD

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USPA
No Pull-1

• 28 jumps
• Solo freefall
• No handles pulled
• AAD found turned on but did not activate, tested
  OK by factory

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USPA
Freefall Collision-1

• 35 Jumps Experience, collided with other jumper
  as main deployed
• Jumping with another jumper who had 25 jumps
  experience
• Method of training not reported
• BSR Violations
• Drop zones should use the USPA Integrated
  Student Program
• to better prepare students for group freefall
  skills

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USPA
Equipment Problems-5
16 in 2003 29 in 2004
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USPA
Equipment Problems-6
Hard Opening Main(2)
Canopy Collapse
Adjustable HarnessFailure
Hard spin under 21 sq. ft.Experimental Main
Premature DeploymentIn Door of a Cessna 206
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Equipment Problems-6
USPA
Steps For Prevention
1. Equipment Maintenance
Use factory parts or at least parts built within
factory specifications. Avoid hard openings with
careful packing. Jumping within speed and weight
limits of the equipment.
120 Day Inspection and Reserve Repack should
include Inspection of the harness and all
stitching. Worn harnesses should be replaced or
grounded.
Containers must have tight main and reserve
closing loops. Use containers that provide proper
pin and bridal protection.
Pin checks before exit! Educate your jumpers!
Every jumper should know and practice the Check
of 3s-Check 3-handles, 3-straps, 3-times, along
with a pin check before exiting the plane.
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USPA
Equipment Problems-6
Steps For Prevention
2. Canopy Issues
Jumpers should begin jumping with a reasonable
canopy size. First canopy wing-loading should be
no higher than .91. Jumpers should downsize
gradually.
Canopy training and practice drills should be
part of continuing education for every jumper
with each new canopy.
Canopies which are new to the jumper should be
thoroughly wrung out at higher altitudes.
Experimental canopies should be test dropped with
instruments in order to gather data and discover
the possible forces placed on a jumper in a
worst-case scenario.
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USPA
Equipment Problems 1999-2004
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USPA
Canopy Control-11
52 of the US total in 2004 48 of the US total
in 2003
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USPA
Canopy Control
10-Year Average 26
2003 Average 37
2004 Average 35
Total Fatalities Vs. Turn Related
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USPA
Canopy Control
10-Year Average 48
2003 Average 48
2004 Average 52
Total Fatalities Vs. All Canopy Related
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USPA
Low Turn Percentage

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USPA
Canopy Control Percentage

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USPA
2004 Canopy Control-11
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USPA
2003-2004 Turn-Related Deaths
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USPA
Canopy Control Issues
2 Very Distinct Problem Areas
Intentional High Performance Landings
Unintentional Low Turns Mishandling canopies
Zabo
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USPA
Intentional
Unintentional
vs.
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USPA
Factors Leading to Intentional High Performance
Landing Deaths
Little or no canopy training
Relatively low number of jumps
Rapid downsizing
Poor Attitude Would not accept advice
Poor canopy control Many close calls
Very high wing loading 1.4 to 2.21 or higher
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USPA
Factors Leading to Unintentional Low Turn Deaths
Relatively low number of jumps
Advanced wing loading 1.1-1.61
Rapid downsizing Little or no training
Off-field landing or at the edge of the airport
Low turn trying to face into the wind
Last minute panic turn Avoiding an obstacle
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USPA
Solutions Available To Help Reduce Canopy Related
Fatalities
Use the USPA Integrated Student Program. The ISP
emphasizes canopy training throughout the
students progression all the way to the A
License. Canopy drills improve the skill of each
student.
A license holders should start at lower wing
loadings. .91 or 1.01 depending on the size of
the main canopy.
Downsize in smaller steps. Make more jumps on
each canopy size and demonstrate proficient skill
with each canopy size before moving to a higher
wing-loading.
Early emphasis on braked canopy flight including
braked turns and approaches. Braked flight should
be practiced often by jumpers of all experience
levels.
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USPA
Solutions Available To Reduce The Risk Of
Intentional High Performance landings
Experienced jumpers, Instructors, STAs and DZOs
must change their perspective of what is
reasonable regarding initial canopy size and
downsizing. Most jumpers may be able to handle a
faster canopy landing in a large area. Traffic or
an off-field landing can overwhelm a jumper who
is barely in control of their canopy while
landing in a large area.
SIM Section 6-10 and 6-11 provide information
regarding advanced canopy training and downsizing
recommendations. Use canopy coaches who have been
through extensive training in canopy flight.
Several professional canopy flight schools are
available with factory trained coaches.
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USPA
Know Your Airplane! Know your pilot! Get Gear
Checks!
Properly Maintained Aircraft
Properly Trainedand ProficientPilots
C Warner Brothers
Fatalities related to plane crashes are not part
of the statistics in this skydiving fatality
summary. However, 3 skydivers died in 3 skydiving
plane crashes in 2004!
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USPA
Final Conclusions
93
Better training and equipment checks would have
eliminated a staggering 93 of the 2003-2004
fatalities.