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COPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Navy Safety Center
In set August 2004, a 39-year-old Navy lieutenant had had an uneventful free fall from 13,000 feet, with an initial canopy descent from 2,500 feet, and was up to make a straight-in approach from approximately 600 feet. At 300 feet, he pulled both risers down evenly, apparently to increase his forward speed so he could do a high-performance landing. Between 15 and 10 feet, the lieutenant let up on both risers but failed to flare the canopy. He subsequently hit the ground feet first, and his head struck the ground hard, causing fatal injuries.
The lieutenant was jumping an elliptical parachute at a wing loading of 1.4:1, for which the manufacturer recommends the jumper be an expert. This canopy choice was very aggressive for the lieutenant, a jumper who never had received any type of structured canopy training and who may have been unaware of how the canopy would react while using front risers. He was found with a toggle in only one hand, but it is believed he had both toggles in his hands during the landing approach.
Another fatal recreational skydiving mishap occurred in February 2005. The victim in this case was a 24-year-old PO2 who, according to reports,...
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